Rock and Rule: Safe Haven
by duchessofbooks
Summary: Mok decides not to go through with his plan of releasing the demonic creature and Angel is allowed to go. Omar, believing that Angel abandoned him, features his true colors. Will Mok save her from a life of enslavement? And better yet, will he save his soul? Angel/Mok romance.
1. Chapter 1

Rock & Rule: Safe Haven

_All Rock and Rule characters belong to Nelvana. Original characters belong to me._

Chapter 1

Mok, the aging rock star was deep in thought about the dream he had the other night. Surely it was a warning of his downfall if he were to release the 'Other Being' during the next concert.

And for some reason, he feared for Angel's safety. Wait a minute, why was he afraid of losing Angel?

_'I don't need love, I don't need anyone,'_ he thought to himself, but those words disturbed him.

The only reason he wanted to bring the 'Other Being' into this world, not to receive fame and immortality, but to bring his first love back from the dead.

Emmy, Mok's sweetheart died of cancer twenty years ago and with her death, he lost his chance of living a normal life, or so he thought.

_'I cannot keep this feeling inside, I have to do something,'_ Mok said in his mind and then, he heard someone playing the piano in the grand-piano room.

"Look down," he said, revealing himself to Angel, who stopped playing.

"Oh, what a view; I sometimes thought that the people would bow to me for my brilliance," he said to her and he collapsed down on the bed.

"Mok," Angel said to him, coming to his side, and began to rub his shoulders, "Why don't we go away somewhere?"

"Hmmm, where? Fantasy Island? Disneyland?" he chuckled, but he stopped.

_'What if she doesn't accept my feelings? What should I do?'_ the rock star's mind said.

Then, as if he grew incredible hearing, he heard a voice say to him, _'Let her go.'_

"Angel?" Mok asked.

"Yes?" she replied.

"I think…I think it's best to forget about this concert, forget world domination, this earth has been through enough," he explained, but Angel was surprised at this.

"Are you saying you've changed your mind?" she asked in a rather hopeful tone.

Mok was silent for a minute and he lifted his head up.

"Yes, I will think of something to say to my fans and maybe, sometime in the future, I will make-up to them," Mok answered and he looked deep into Angel's blue eyes.

"Angel, I want to…to apologize for what I have done to you and your friends," he said to her, "You see, I needed your voice to release the 'Other Being' and with its powers, I wanted it to bring back someone I loved," Mok explained and she listened.

"Who was this person?" Angel asked, rather curiously.

He produced a locket and opened it; in it was a photo of a woman with curly red hair, dazzling green eyes, and a rather enchanting smile.

"Emmy, I wanted to marry her and live the rest of my life with her, but…she…passed away," he said and she became quite shocked.

"But now, I realize that death is a natural part of life and perhaps I must find someone else," he added and took Angel's hand.

"When we land, you can go, but right now, you're free," Mok said and placed three shiny gold coins in her open palm.

"Mok, thank you," Angel replied and got up to leave, but placed her hand on his cheek for a moment and then left the room.

Toad arrived just as Angel passed him, "Boss, tonight's concert is completely sold out; you got 'em in the palm of your hand!" the servant laughed, but Mok didn't laugh.

"I let her go," he replied to Toad.

"That's ni…what?!" the servant exclaimed, "Why?"

"Because, I love her," Mok said in an honest voice.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"He did what?!" Toad's siblings asked all at once.

"Yeah, it's true, he's completely changed," the older brother answered.

"Oh man, I wanted it to be a fairy-tale ending," Cindy said and Zip nodded in agreement.

"Wake up you two, this is reality, there is no happy ending," Sleazy replied, rather rudely.

The airship landed at Mok's mansion before sundown and Angel did not wait and she walked out the door.

When she got to the gate, she looked up at the mansion, but then, she went into a run.

Mok watched from his bedroom window as Angel ran down the path that led into Ohmtown and he feared that it would be the last time he saw her.

"This is a cruel world," he said to himself, looking through his drawers for his 'secret stash'.

He pulled out a beautiful orient bottle that held the 'secret stash'. Opium, a rare drug that was difficult to find, especially after the Nuclear Wipe-out that happened a thousand years ago.

Mok admired looking at the clear glass, but he didn't open the bottle yet. Instead, he turned to his computer and says, "M.A.I. play me my favorite song."

Out of the computer's speakers came a wave of beautiful sound. A violin played an old Appalachia fiddle, one that Mok found so wonderful. The violin became a rarity after the Wipe-out because the people who created the instrument were either dead or the knowledge of creating it lost its way through the ages.

The violin's notes rose and fell. At first, it lifted Mok's spirits, but when the fiddling stopped, he opened the bottle.

Without any other thought, Mok inhaled the opium and looked in the mirror.

Then, the pain came; it was an excruciating wave of agony that he could not describe.

He grabbed whatever he could to keep himself up right, but the pain was unbearable.

Mok collapsed onto the floor, struggling for breath, but his throat was closing in on him and then, blackness covered his vision.

"Boss?" Toad knocked at the door, but no answer.

Usually, Toad would have to wait for his employer's permission, but something did not feel right and he opened the door.

"Oh shit! Boss!" the servant cried out when he saw Mok lying on the floor, unconscious.

Toad checked for a pulse, there wasn't one, and he calls out, "Cindy! Guys!"

His siblings rushed to their master's bedroom and saw what was going on.

"What happened?!" Zip asked, he was almost screaming.

"I don't know, but one of you, call an ambulance!" Toad ordered and Sleazy went off.

"Cindy, I need your help," the older brother said to his sister.

"Oh no, I'm not—" "There's no time to argue! I need your help!" Toad snapped and Cindy obeyed.

He tore open Mok's robe, exposing his bare chest and Toad began to press his fists into his heart.

After 30 fist-fulls, Cindy gave two breaths into her boss's mouth and it was revolting, but she didn't argue.

"The ambulance is on its way!" Sleazy called out.

After 2 minutes of CPR, Mok did not respond and he looked beyond dead.

"Dammit, boss! I ain't quiten you! But you better not!" Toad shouted and then slapped Mok across his face, leaving a red bruise on his cheek.

Then, Mok's chest heaved and took a deep breath.

"Turn him on his side," Toad ordered Cindy and they turned him, just as he vomited onto the floor.

Mok's vision was blurry and the pain was nearly excruciating, but at least he was alive, but then he blacked out.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Angel found herself in the down-town area, relieved that she was far from Mok's mansion.

An ambulance rushed passed her, but she ignored it. She hoped that her boyfriend would not find her, not yet though.

_'I should get away from here,'_ she thought, now that she had money to leave Ohmtown, for good at least.

What was wrong with her? And better yet, what was this feeling inside?

As long as she could remember, her relationship with Omar was strained, but he would usually deny it.

The first time he hit her was about two years ago when Angel wanted to take a break from dating and she left him. Omar followed her and apologized, saying he wouldn't hit her, again.

But that was a lie. Omar continued to psychically and verbally abuse her whenever she did something that would make him tick.

Angel wanted to leave the relationship, but Omar would threaten her by saying he will commit suicide and make it look like that Angel killed him.

Not only did she fear for her life, she feared Omar would do such a thing.

But now, there was no telling what Omar would do since she was technically kidnapped by Mok, but his minions made it look like that she left Omar and the band for fame and fortune.

Angel needed a drink, just one, and maybe something to eat, so she decided to head to 'Lars'.

Before she headed to the bar, Angel stopped at a bus station where she found a schedule and it listed the destinations that led out of Ohmtown.

She did not notice that in the shadows, Omar was watching her.

_'You leaving me, again, bitch?'_ his mind said and the thought of strangling her made him feel better.

However, he was losing a certain buzz and he needed it to come back, so he went to a payphone, fed it with change, and dialed a number.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Mok awoke in a sweat and an oxygen mask had been placed over his mouth and nose.

_'How long was I out?'_ he asked himself.

He could hear sirens and that's when he realized that he was on a gurney and cold oxygen flowed through his lungs.

"Hey, he's awake," someone said, but Mok's vision was going black, again.

He remembered that he collapsed after inhaling the opium.

_"You're not ready to leave this earth,"_ a voice told him and it sounded very familiar to him.

The ambulance arrived at Ohmtown United Hospital and a dozen doctors tended to the aging rock star.

"Overdose," one said, "Get the pumper," he ordered and they obeyed.

Just then, the heart monitor gave the high-pitched hum and the doctors scrambled.

"Dammit! Get him back!" one shouted and another began to do chest compressions.

_Mok found himself floating in a black space and he thought, 'Am I dead?'_

_"You're not ready," a female voice said and fog appeared._

_Just then, out of the blackness, Mok spotted Emmy, dressed in white and she kissed him._

_"You're not ready to enter the after-life," she told him._

_"But am I dead?" he asked._

_"You won't be for long. Please Mok," Emmy replied to him, "Don't throw your life away because of me. I want you to find someone to share your hardships with. Don't turn to drugs, isn't it something you worked hard against?"_

_"Yes," Mok said in realization._

_"I have to let you go now, please promise me you'll never take another substance as long as you live," Emmy replied, but Mok didn't want to leave her._

_Then, it felt like he was being pulled away from Emmy by an invisible force, but they held onto each other._

_"Promise me, Mok!" she demanded and he nodded, "I promise."_

_They let go of their hands and Mok was pulled away from his sweetheart and everything goes white._

Back in the real world, the heart-monitor beeped, again as Mok took a much needed breath.

"He's back!" someone called out, but the rock star still had his eyes closed.

"Prepare to pump out the contents," a doctor said and Mok was taken to surgery.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

At Lars', Angel sat at a table by herself. She was the only patron, apart from the amateur rock band that was playing on stage.

She ordered a beer and some fries and looked over the bus schedule.

Some of the destinations went as far as New York and San Francisco.

Just then, Lars the owner came running out from behind the stage, ordering the band to quiet down.

"Joe, turn up the volume!" the rat humanoid shouted.

Angel turned her attention to the flat-screen that featured a breaking news bulletin.

"The legendary rock star Mok Swagger has been submitted to Ohmtown United in critical condition due to an apparent overdose. Doctors cannot determine what type of substance he had taken before being brought in by ambulance," the newswoman said to the audience.

Angel suddenly stood up, causing the table to crash to the ground, her food and drink splash to the floor.

"Holy shit!" a band member commented, to the news-story, not Angel.

She had to go and she went up to the bar to pay her tab.

"Sorry about the mess, keep the change," she said to the bar-tender, handing one of the gold coins to him.

Angel dashed out of Lars', just as the bartender shouted at her, "Hey! Where did you get this?!"

Outside, she broke into tears.

"Why did you do it Mok? Why?" she asked, but only to herself.

"Angel?" a voice spoke out of the darkness and she turned to see Omar, stepping out from the alley.

"Omar!" Angel exclaimed in shock and surprise.

"What happened? You look pale," he asked, but in his head, he said_ 'You left me for that old bastard!'_

"Nothing," she replied, but she could tell that Omar was not satisfied.

Across the street, a newspaper boy shouts out, "Extra! Extra! Ohmtown's legendary rock star in hospital!"

"Does he mean Mok?" Omar asked Angel and she had to nod.

"Damn, what a shame," he replied, but she sensed that Omar wanted Mok to die and he took Angel's hand. "Let's go somewhere, you and me."

Angel was surprised; what was wrong with Omar? She didn't know if she should get away from Omar or follow him.

"C'mon, I found a nice, cozy place for us," Omar replied and he led her down the alley.

Some minutes passed and the two found themselves at a dead-end.

"Omar, do you know where you're going?" Angel asked, but he looked at her.

Then, out of the shadows came three dog men and protective instincts kicked in in Angel.

"Is this the girl?" one asked and then, Omar grabbed Angel by the arm and pulled her to the three men.

"Damn, she's prettier than what you described," another said.

"Omar, what's going on?" Angel asked, but then, Omar dug into her pocket and pulled out the remaining two gold coins.

The third man, the ring-leader walked up to Omar.

"Well?" Omar asked, giving the ring-leader the coins and he nodded.

"Here," he replied and placed a few bags full of a white substance in Omar's hand.

"You sold me for drugs?!" Angel cried out, but one man placed a hand over her mouth.

"Take her to the car," the ring-leader ordered his comrades and they dragged Angel away.

"I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you, Omar!" Angel shouted at him, but he ignored her as he walked away.

"Let me go! Let me go!" she screamed, but suddenly, the ring-leader slapped her across the face.

"Keep your mouth shut, bitch or I'll make you!" he ordered, flashing a knife. Angel had to obey as she climbed into their car and it sped away from Ohmtown.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Morning came and sunlight streamed through the hospital window and shone on Mok.

He opened his eyes and looked around. His arm had an IV strip and he could tell that he had an airway tube up his nose.

The hospital room was white and he could barely hear the nurses and doctors down the hall.

A sharp pain hit Mok in the cheek and he touched it. It was swollen and Mok did not know how he got it.

"Hey boss," he heard someone from beside him and he saw Toad, sitting in a chair beside the bed.

"How long was I out?" Mok asked.

"Since yesterday evening, but you went in and out a couple of times," his employee informed.

"Thank you for what you did and by the way," Mok said to Toad. "Did you slap me?" he asked.

Toad gave a weak smile and nodded and then, a doctor came in.

"Good, you're awake," he said and he checked Mok's vitals.

Mok could see the tag 'D. Gregory'. "We managed to get the contents out in time, but your whole body is out of whack," he said to the rock musician.

"I know, I should've entered rehab a long time ago," Mok replied and then asks, "Does the media know?"

"Yes," Toad replied and Mok groaned, "I might as well come clean."

"Good and I hope you did not mind that I had submitted your files to the Blazing Sun Rehab Center," Dr. Gregory informed.

"Where's that?" Mok asked.

"Northern California and they have accepted your case," the doctor informed, again.

"I appreciate what you did, but can I ask you for a favor?" Mok asked and the doctor nodded, "Can you look for some place that is at least near here?"

Dr. Gregory began to think and replies, "I'll see what I can do. In the mean time you should get some more sleep."

_'I really want more!'_ Mok's mind said to him, but he ignored it as best he could.

"Boss, I think you should see this," Toad said to his employer.

Mok did his best to get out of the bed, but he was so weak that his legs nearly gave out.

He got into a wheelchair and Toad pushed him to the window and what Mok saw surprised him.

People were standing outside, holding up banners, with some saying 'We love you, Mok!', 'Our prayers are with you!', and 'Get well soon!' and others laid flowers on the ground under the window.

They went crazy when they saw their favorite rock star and he scammed the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Angel.

"I don't know what that girl did, but whatever she did she managed to get the worst out of you," Toad informed, "And I must say this. You really didn't have to go to great lengths to achieve fame and fortune."

Mok gave a weak smile and he continued to look in the crowd, but no sight of Angel.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Hundreds of miles away, Angel and her captors stopped at a rest point somewhere in the State of Kentucky.

It got dark and chilly, but the drug dealers had built a fire. Angel, however, was placed far from them.

She shivered from the cold, her jacket did no good. Then, a lotus flower came into her view.

She grabbed it and held it close to her chest. Its petals were soft and warm and it was enough for Angel and then she fell asleep.

Back at Ohmtown United, Mok had sent Toad to tell the media and the crowd that he was in stable condition and that he will be entering rehab once he is given the all clear.

Dr. Gregory had come back and informed Mok of the White Ridge Mountain Rehabilitation Center, thirty miles from Ohmtown.

Rather than make the doctor look for more centers, Mok accepted that one instead and asked when he can go.

"Tomorrow morning, we would like to keep an eye on you tonight," the doctor answered.

Mok summoned Toad and told him to pack what was necessary for the 60-day recovery process.

He felt an urge of disappointment and worry since he did not find Angel in the crowd today.

_'Will I ever see her, again?'_ he thought to himself, but he was afraid of a certain answer.

By first light, Mok dressed in his best and was taken to his limo, but the media and paparazzi surrounded him, asking questions and demanding answers.

"I admit; I have been abusing drugs for as long as I can remember," Mok said to the crowd, "But right now, I want to get back on the right path, but it will take time, and I hope I have the patience for it."

The rock star entered his limo and it sped away from the hospital.

"How are you, Mok?" M.A.I. had asked.

M.A.I was short for "Mega-Artificial Intelligence" and it, or she had been faithful to her master ever since Mok built her.

"I am devastated, M.A.I., but I am grateful that I didn't carry out my plan," he said to her.

"I hate to bring this up, but there is the matter of making funeral arrangements and of your will," M.A.I. had informed.

"No changes and everything will be all right," Mok had assured her.

He stared out the window, looking at the landscape, but he could feel that same feeling, again.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Angel had been asleep throughout the night till someone kicked her, "Hey get up!" one of the men shouted.

The lotus flower that Angel had flew away in the wind. She looked at the hills and highway pavement that led back to Ohmtown.

Angel had the gut-feeling that she wouldn't be going back to her home, perhaps in years.

The drug-dealers drove with their captive south and into the state of Florida.

Angel was shaken awake, again, and what she saw surprised her.

Miami, the paradise of Florida was a land of buildings that shined like gold in the sun. The picturesque sea looked like it was a blue jewel from another world and the white-sand beaches were littered with tourists.

The car passed dozens of hotels and casinos and there were a lot of people in high class wear.

The car then turned into an alley way and it stopped at an entrance to some place.

Angel was pulled out of the car and was led into the building.

Now it was dark and damp inside here, there was dirt and grim. Angel thought Miami took pride in keeping their city clean.

After walking through mazes of packages and steel beams, they stopped at an elevator and waited.

The elevator doors flew open and an old woman with a cane stood there and looked at them.

"Is this the girl you mentioned on the phone?" she asked, looking at Angel.

"Yes, from Ohmtown," the ringleader mentioned.

"Bring her up," the woman said and they stepped in.

The elevator headed to the top, but Angel wasn't sure when it would stop.

After a few moments, it stopped and opened, and Angel was pushed out, with the old woman leading.

"If you raise your voice toward the missus, I'll beat you till your hands turn red," the woman warned and showed her cane.

They walked down a hallway that was decorated with exotic, but toxic plants and it led to a grand door that had the words 'Rhonda Legrand' on a steel plate.

The old woman knocked and a haggard voice replies, "In."

They pushed Angel in through the door and she looked at the room; there was a grand window that Angel could see the ocean, fine furniture laid across the room, and there was a large desk, where a woman who looked ugly with wrinkles sat and she lit a cigarette.

Angel could see gold coins and jewelry on the desk and Ms. Legrand looked up at her.

"Mr. Reyer," she said to the ringleader and he looked up. "Is this the girl from Ohmtown?" she asked and he nodded.

Rhonda got up and Angel saw the full extent of the woman. She was stout and the dress she wore was tight around her arms and her fiery brown eyes stared into Angel.

Rhonda checked her teeth, her stomach, and feet, "Yup, you brought a good one," she said to Reyer.

"Please let me go!" Angel cried out. The old woman raised her cane, but Rhonda held up a hand.

"Let me see those eyes," she said in her haggard voice and pulled on Angel's chin.

The frightened woman had no choice and looked at Rhonda, braving herself to not smell the horrible cigarette stench.

"The men will eat her alive with those eyes," Rhonda replied and released Angel's chin. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Angel," the woman replied and Rhonda turn to the old woman, "Beta, bring in Andro."

Beta disappeared behind a tapestry and brought back a rather muscular man who was panting and sweating.

"Andro, would you fuck this girl?" Rhonda asked.

_'Oh shit, she's going to let him rape me,'_ Angel's mind alarmed her.

"Oh hell yes," Andro replied and walked up to Angel and took her by the arm.

"Don't do it on the rug, I had it steamed-clean," Rhonda ordered as Andro dragged Angel to an adjacent room.

He tore off Angel's shirt and jacket and squeezed on her breast with one hand and used his other to touch her womanhood.

"Let me go! Let me go! Stop!" Angel cried out, but Andro ignored her and he pulled her pants down.

He entered her rather roughly with one thrust, but he stopped and pulled out of her.

"Ah damn!" Andro exclaimed.

"What's the matter?" Rhonda asked through the door.

"This one's not a virgin," he called back and Angel could hear a gasp.

"Did you bring in a whore from the street?" Rhonda asked Reyer and his friends.

"No, I mean we didn't know. The guy who sold her to us said she was a virgin. That dickhead lied to us!" Reyer replied and Rhonda pressed two fingers to her nose.

"Well, I'll give you what you asked for and keep the girl, but the next time you come back, you better have a virgin!" she demanded them and handed them a pouch of coins.

The three men left the room and Beta pulled Angel, who was scrambling to get her clothes on, off the floor.

"Take her to the girls' apartment and have them find some new clothes for her," Rhonda said to Beta and she and Angel went behind the tapestry.

There was a spiral stairway that descended away from Rhonda's office and Beta pulled on Angel and led her down.

They walked through a dark hallway and they stopped in front of a sliding door and Beta knocked.

"Yes, Beta?" a woman's voice asked and the door opened.

"Here's the new girl, make sure she behaves," Beta ordered and pushed Angel inside.

The door closed, but Angel banged on it, "Let me out! Let me go!"

"Someone shut her up!" the door woman shouted and pushed Angel away.

Another woman came to Angel's side and clamped her hand against Angel's mouth, blocking her screaming.

The woman shooched her in a rather warm voice, "I cried myself, too, when I came here," she said, "My name's Rosie."

"Angel."

"Angel, a pretty name," Rosie commented and adds, "It's best to forget where you're from and if you obey Ms. Legrand, she'll award with something."

"Where am I? What is this place?" Angel asked, looking around the apartment.

There were some other women, sleeping on futons on the floor, and laundry hung from the ceiling and there were drawers on the wall.

"You're in the Black Widow Casino Hotel, a very popular place for men to relive themselves," Rosie informed and the name hit Angel.

There were rumors that the Black Widow supposedly ran an illegal call-girl business and it seemed that they were true.

"Am I a call-girl now?" Angel asked Rosie and she nodded.

_'So this is what Omar has done to me. Sold me to a brothel,'_ she thought and the tears came running down her cheeks.

"C'mon, let's see if there's anything that will fit you," Rosie said, but pressed a finger to her lips, "Don't wake Kenna."

Angel followed Rosie to a set of drawers and opened some up.

Rosie pulled out a purple ruffle corset and skirt, holding it to Angel, "Yeah it will fit."

"That's mine!" someone shouted from a futon close to them. Angel turned to see a woman with jet-black hair, a skinny belly and she saw fire in this woman's eyes.

"Sorry Kenna, I didn't know," Rosie said, bowing to her.

Kenna ignored Rosie and looked at Angel. "Is this the new arrival?" she asked and Angel nodded.

"I'm giving you this as a warning," she hissed, "Don't touch my things."

Kenna turned to Rosie, who placed the corset back in the drawer.

"Give her the school girl outfit," she said and went back to sleep.

Rosie pulled out a school girl outfit with net bodice, opaque bandeau top with patch detail, adjustable straps, a pleated mini skirt, open crotch and thong back.

Angel took the dress and a wave of anguish flooded her emotions; she was now a whore in a strange, new place.

"Try to get some rest, we're always busy in the evening," Rosie said and pulled out a futon for Angel and handed her an extra large t-shirt. "You use that for sleeping. Before I forget, we eat around 8 pm for dinner and again after midnight," Rosie explained and went away.

The poor woman shed her clothes and got into the large shirt that served as a night shirt. Angel went in between the quilt and futon and cried herself to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

A thousand miles away, Mok had entered the White Ridge Mountain Rehabilitation Center.

"Good luck sir," Toad said to his master as the attendants took Mok's luggage.

"Just because I'll be here does not mean you are on vacation," Mok warned and Toad nodded.

The rock star entered through the glass doors and a nurse led him to the head doctor's office.

The head doctor, Lexa Pryce had briefed the rock star about what the program will be doing while he stayed at the center.

"The first few days will be tough, but we want you to break the cycle," Pryce had informed.

"Before I forget, take this," Pryce said to him and gave him a journal, "Whenever you feel like expressing your thoughts, write them in here."

The rock star took a tour of the center. There was a lounge area that had French doors that led outside, a workout room with a walkway for runners, and a nurse's station. Mok took a peek out the windows, there was a breathtaking view of the tall mountains that were covered in snow.

The patients and staff stared at him whenever he passed them and he could hear the whispers, "Is that Mok?" "Holy shit!" "He must be a look-alike."

When he entered his room, he was stunned. The walls were painted violet-blue, the windows showed him the same view as the others, a queen size bed, some chairs, and a desk.

Mok changed into nightwear and robe and sat himself in a chair and he stared at the mountain.

"If that mountain survived through change, than so can I," he said to himself and opened his journal.

_'It reminds you of cocaine'_ his thoughts said, but he ignored them.

It felt strange since he hadn't held a pen in years, but he managed to write.

_'I made a promise to Emmy that I will go through this process and I am not a religious person, but if there is a god or a thousand gods, I pray that I will get through this. Tomorrow, I meet with a psychiatrist and I better—'_

Mok stopped writing as a memory flowed into his mind.

_"You stupid, stupid woman!" a man's voice shouted and the young Mok watched helplessly as his mother was beaten by his father. "Stop it! Please!" he cried, but the man ignored him and continued to slap the woman across the face._

The memory blacked out and Mok snapped back into reality.

He stopped writing and placed the journal away on the desk and retired to bed.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

In Miami, the evening came buzzing about with tourists crowding the casinos, but the Black Widow was alive with manly activity.

Men, young and old piled at the blackjack and poker tables, the slot machines, and booking rooms where they can take a call-girl to bed.

Angel dressed herself in the school girl dress, it felt humiliating, but she had to obey the rules.

Rosie, who was dressed in a sexy French maid outfit, held out her hand to show packed condoms.

"Give these to your customers, Ms. Legrand doesn't want any girl to get pregnant," she said and Angel took the condoms.

"Hey, new girl," Kenna called to her, "Why don't you take my first call, I'm too tired."

Angel looked at the schedule; Kenna had crossed out her first appointment and wrote 'New girl' over it.

"Room 1290, where's that?" Angel asked Rosie.

"I'll show you; you can't use the hallways because Legrand forbids us," Rosie replied and Angel followed her through mazes of dark halls and stairways.

Then, she noticed that there were doors that led to somewhere.

"There are tapestries in every room here, all call-girls must use them to go in and out of here," Rosie informed and pointed to a plate that read '1290'.

Angel began to shake, she did not want to go through with this, but Rosie pushed her in, "Remember the condoms and you can only leave if the man is asleep and make sure he is," she whispered and she closed the door.

Angel pushed pass the tapestry and found herself in a large bedroom with a queen size bed and gold-colored wall paper.

There was no one in the room and Angel thought Kenna was playing a cruel joke till someone opened the bathroom door.

A large man with a stout belly came out wearing only a towel and looked at her.

"You're not Kenna!" he shouted and Angel nearly lost it.

However, the man began to look at her features and at her outfit.

"You're new, what's your name?" he asked.

"Angel," she answered and a smile cracked on the man's face.

He walked up to her, grabbed her arm and pulled her to the bed.

He shed his towel, but Angel held out a condom and he took it.

"You've been a bad girl, Angel," the man said and began to do every filthy thing to Angel and she had to fight the tears as she was violated.

Two hours passed and the man dozed off to sleep, signaling her to go while he was out.

She returned to the dark back way and went back to the girls' wing and that's where Rhonda, Beta, and Kenna were waiting for her.

"You thieving bitch!" Rhonda shouted and began to whip Angel's back, a sting of pain shot through her.

"What did I do?!" Angel asked, but she heard Kenna chuckle.

"See, she is clueless," Kenna said and realization filled Angel.

Kenna had actually tricked Angel and Rhonda continued to hit her, till Beta stopped her.

"Wait, it's her first time, show her pity," Beta said, but Rhonda shot a look at her and back at Angel.

"All right, I'll spare you this one time, but if you ever steal a client, again, I will beat you to a pulp!" she angrily bellowed and left with Beta.

Angel stared at Kenna, who gave a snicker and walked away, just as Rosie came to Angel's side.

"I'm so sorry, I forgot to tell you that Kenna loves to play tricks on new comers and she enjoys watching others get beaten," the girl said to Angel.

Just then, Rhonda came back with an excited face. "That man from 1290 said you were a blast!" she exclaimed and Angel was surprised, and then, Rhonda pulled her up, "C'mon, we're getting your picture taken."

Angel followed Rhonda up the spiral staircase and noticed Kenna, an angry look was painted on her face.

Angel found herself back in Rhonda's pent-house and the woman gestured her to a blank wall and she walked over to it.

"Face me and you better smile," Rhonda warned and Angel took a deep breath and gave her best one.

"Very good," Rhonda said, snapping a photo, "Now you're officially a Black Widower."

Angel's fake smile vanished and a look of dread fell upon her.

"Don't give me that look; do you want to a whore out on the street? Besides I give you food and shelter and you should be grateful," Rhonda said to her.

"But I am not a whore!" Angel cried out, but Rhonda slapped her across the face.

"Tough shit, you're mine!" she shouted and lit a cigarette, "Now get out!"

Angel returned to the girls' apartment and she saw some girls chattering among themselves.

"Hey, that's the new girl." "Did you hear, a man said she was a blast." "Shit, Kenna will never forgive her for that."

Angel laid down on her futon and placed a pillow over her head.

A bell rang and the girls scattered away.

"Angel! That's our dinner!" Rosie informed and rushed off.

The woman realized that she hadn't had anything since this morning and she followed Rosie to the mess hall.

Tonight's menu was freezer-burn fish, slightly moldy bread, and a fruit cup that looked good.

Angel watched the other girls eat their meals, but she lost her appetite after she took a bite of the fish.

"You have to eat, otherwise you won't be strong enough," Rosie said to her.

Angel ate the fruit and felt a bit better and she forced herself to eat the fish.

"Hey, new girl," a voice said and another woman wearing a sexy cat-suit joined her.

"Her name's Angel," Rosie said to the woman.

"Oh, Angel, mine's Helga."

"Also known as the Cat from Hell," Rosie replied, but Helga gave a sneer.

The three talked to each other and Angel learned that both Rosie and Helga were sold by their families to the Black Widow.

"My parents and I never got along," Helga explained. "One night, they caught me with my boyfriend and they went ballistic, said they lost their patience with me and sent me here."

"My mother was sick," Rosie said. "My father didn't have money for medicine and Rhonda paid him to have me, but then a week later, I got word that both my parents died in an auto accident."

"Oh Rosie, I'm so sorry," Angel replied.

"What about you? Who sent you here?" Helga asked and that hit a point for Angel.

"My boyfriend," she answered and the two girls looked at her.

"Why did he do that?" Rosie asked.

"He actually sold me for drugs," Angel explained.

"I was right, men have no feelings," Helga replied.

Angel, Rosie, and Helga went back to the apartment and waited for their next client.

Angel then noticed Rosie folding paper and she beautifully arranged a paper crane.

"How did you do that?" Angel asked and then noticed a box full of paper cranes.

"They're origami cranes, this is what I do whenever I get bored," Rosie answered, "There is a legend that whoever makes a thousand cranes the gods will grant you whatever wish you have."

"A thousand?" Angel asked in astonishment.

"I'm at crane#309, do you want to help?" Rosie asked.

"But I don't know how to make a crane," Angel replied.

"It's all right, I'll teach you, but you have to have patience," Rosie informed and the two got to work.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" Angel said to the young woman.

"No, not at all," Rosie replied, as she showed Angel how to fold.

"Has anyone tried to escape from here? You know, go for help?" Angel whispered her question.

"Helga said that when she came here, two girls did escape one night, said they would get help. However, they never came back. I think they just ran away without thinking about getting help for us," Rosie answered.

Then, Kenna came into Angel's view and she stared at her.

"You think you can win over the clients? Well, just you wait, no one will call for you and Rhonda will dispose of you," Kenna said, viciously. "It just so happens that I have been the top girl for three years in a row and I am not going to let you jeopardize my reputation," she added and Angel stood up.

"As I recall, you told me to take over your first client," Angel said and Kenna's face turned red. "So, it was actually your fault," Angel added and the other girls gasped in horror.

"Angel, no!" Rosie exclaimed, but it was too late. Kenna jumped on Angel and began to choke her.

"Kenna, stop it!" some of the girls shouted as a few of them pulled Kenna off of Angel.

"I'll make you eat you those words!" the hot-tempered woman shouted at Angel.

Kenna was taken away and Angel knew that Kenna would give her a hard time while she stayed at the casino.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

True to Dr. Pryce's word, the first few days of rehab for Mok had been very difficult.

He spent the first few days in bed, struggling to fight against his thoughts. _'C'mon! Just one! One won't hurt!'_ his mind shouted at him.

Then came the hallucinations.

One day, he woke up from a sleepless night and noticed Emmy in the room.

"Emmy?" he said to her, who was staring out the window.

She turned to smile at him, but then, her teeth became long fangs and she charged at him.

Mok shut his eyes and waited for death to come. However, it didn't and he opened his eyes to see that Emmy was not there.

He then began to see demonic creatures. They first showed themselves out in the hallway and then in his room.

Mok gave cries of horror and pressed his hands against his ears. He then slashed at the demons with his fingernails, but in reality, there was nothing.

Dr. Pryce ordered the attendants to strap Mok to his bed. The rock musician, however, saw more demons. He would cry out almost every hour, begging the demons to let him live.

"I don't want to die!" Mok cried out at the invisible creatures.

The nightmarish fantasies were getting worse every day. After three days of the hallucinating episodes, Dr. Pryce could not take it anymore.

She gathered the other rehab inhabitants and asks them, "I want someone to offer some sort of encouragement to Mok. Let him know that he's seeing illusions."

Nicholai Lenzo, who entered rehab after he had plastic surgery done to his face, volunteered.

"I'll do whatever I can," he said to Dr. Pryce.

Nicholai was taken to Mok's room, where the rock star was sweating profusely and staring at something that was not there.

"Mok Swagger?" Nicholai asked and he turned to face the newcomer. "I'm Nicholai Lenzo, I came here to see if you are all right," the man said.

"Get away from me!" Mok shouted and he squatted into a corner.

"It's all right; I know what you're going through. Please, believe me when I say this, I am real," Nicholai said to the rock star.

The first day was not a success as Mok mistook Nicholai for a demon and nearly slashed his throat with his fingernails.

"I will try, again," Nicholai said to Dr. Pryce.

Next morning, Nicholai delivered Mok's breakfast to his room. Mok looked at Nicholai uneasily, mostly because of the bandages on his face.

"What happened to you?" Mok asked as Nicholai placed the food tray on the outdoor table on the porch.

"I had plastic surgery. I didn't like the look of my face," he answered and showed the tray of food.

Mok did not pay attention to that, but he was hungry and he sat down on the rusted steel chair.

He watched Nicholai eat some of the fruit, but Nicholai groaned in pain and massaged one of his cheeks.

"Are you all right? You sound like you're in pain," Mok asked.

"I insisted that they give me no painkillers, addictive little things," Nicholai said to Mok, but the rock star could tell that he was suffering from the agony.

"You're very wise," Mok said to him and he also began to eat.

Mok ate some of the fruit, they were fresh, and they tasted so good. However, he kept looking around for any of the evil monsters.

"It's all right," Nicholai assured him. "Those things you keep seeing are just…." Nicholai had to think of something that would not upset Mok.

"Mirages," Nicholai replied.

"You mean, they are not real?" Mok asked and Nicholai nodded. "So, I am not crazy," the rock star added.

"Nope," Nicholai said and handed Mok a cup of green liquid.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Green tea. Don't worry, it's not a drug, but I am addicted to it. It'll help clean out whatever you have in your body, trust me," Nicholai said to him.

Mok took the cup and brought it to his lips. He sipped some of the tea and it tasted delicious.

"Thank you," he said to Nicholai and they finished their morning meal.

Afterward, Nicholai went to Dr. Pryce and gave her the news.

"Excellent Mr. Lenzo," she said to him. "Would you mind if you do it, again, tomorrow?" she asked him.

"Not at all," Nicholai replied and he went back to his quarters.

In Mok's room, the musician wrote in his journal. _'The demons are not real. I must remember that.'_

Then, out of the corner of his eye, a green furred, four-legged beast approached him.

"It's not real," Mok said to himself, but the monster continued to walk towards him.

He took a deep breath and says, again, "It's just a mirage."

Just then, the monster dissolved into nothingness and Mok felt a heavy weight lift from his shoulders.

"I should do something besides staying in here," he said to himself.

He got up from the bed, opened the door and stepped out.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

As for Angel, she became a rising star overnight. Men clamored to book her, but it was too much for her to handle.

Every night, she would either get beaten by drunken fools or be violated and she hated it.

Three days after arriving at the Black Widow, she finally said to Rhonda, "I am not going to do another client!"

This resulted in Rhonda whipping her with a belt. "You stupid bitch! I'm in charge here and you will bed every client you have!" Rhonda shouted.

"NO!" Angel yelled, again and that's when Rhonda ticked.

"Fine!" the fat woman said and took Angel to a cell.

Rhonda locked her in the small, isolated room. The room was dark, but it had a small window that overlooked the ocean.

Angel stared out, admiring the moon's reflection on the sea. It sparkled majestically as if the water was made of jewels.

Her stomach began to groan and she was suffering from a headache.

She was very tired, so she slept by the window.

By the next morning, Rhonda opened the cell door and ordered Angel out of the room.

"If you ever talk back to me, again, I will lock you in here all day and night without food and no water," Rhonda warned and pushed Angel back to the girls' apartment.

When she entered, she saw that everyone was asleep in their futons. Angel quietly crept passed the girls and found her own futon.

However, she noticed two lumps and she lifted the quilt. There, she found two perfectly good looking bread rolls. Next to them was a note from Rosie.

_Helga and I saved these for you. We don't want you to go hungry_

_-R_

Angel quietly ate the rolls, making sure that no crumbs fell to the floor.

The bread filled her belly and it felt good that her stomach was satisfied. Then, she realized that she was really thirsty, but there was no water.

The only time she and the other girls were allowed to have water was during dinner time. Angel thought carefully; if she went to the kitchen to get a cup of water, she had to do it quietly or risk getting caught and thrown back into the cell.

On her tip-toes, she made it to the door, making sure that the woman guarding it was asleep. She slowly opened the sliding door and crept out into the dark hallway.

Angel walked down the hall towards the cafeteria, with her ears open.

When she got to the door that led into the kitchen, she turned the knob, but it was locked.

"Crap!" Angel whispered and began to think.

She could either forget about the drink of water and head back to the apartment or go to the showers and baths and drink from a faucet.

Angel left the cafeteria and headed towards the showers.

As quiet as a mouse, she made it to the showers and went in.

She went to one sink and turned on the cold water faucet. When the water came out, it had a hint of brown in it, making Angel feel uneasy.

Having no other choice, she took her hands and made them into a cup. Water filled her hands and she dared herself to take a sip.

Angel had to hold back a cough of disgust as the water tasted like iron. However, there was no other option and she drank hand-fulls of the dirty water till her thirst was satisfied.

Feeling relived, Angel headed out the showers and came face to face with Rhonda, Beta, and Andro.

Andro grabbed Angel by the scalp and pushed her to the floor.

"You stupid girl!" Rhonda shouted and began to hit Angel's back with a belt.

The poor woman felt the sting of the belt and she could feel her skin breaking. Blood trickled out of the cuts and Angel thought that Rhonda would break her spine.

"Rhonda, that's enough! You'll throw out your back, again!" Beta ordered her comrade and Rhonda stopped whipping the belt.

"Should I take her to the cell?" Andro asked, but the large woman shook her head.

"Take her back to the apartment and make sure the door is locked," she said to him.

Andro pulled Angel to her feet and dragged her back to the girls' apartment.

He pounded on the door and the woman guarding it opened it. "You must be deaf; did you not hear her go out?" Andro demanded and the woman hid her face.

He pushed Angel in and the woman closed the door and she heard the metallic click of the lock outside.

"What happened?" someone asked and the lights turned on.

"Oh my God, Angel!" Rosie cried out and came to the bleeding woman's side.

Rosie took Angel to her futon and Angel laid on her stomach.

"I can't believe you are so stupid," Kenna taunted her, but Angel ignored her.

Rosie took a towel that was hanging from the ceiling and begins to spit on Angel's back.

"Rosie, you're disgusting!" one girl said.

"Shut up!" Rosie shouted back and starts to wipe the spit with the blood and clean it off with the towel.

"Angel, where did you go?" Rosie asked, while she rubbed Angel's back.

"I was…thirsty…and I…water…" the poor woman replied and started to choke on her tears.

Rosie continued to gently rub Angel's back and then leans into her ear. "If you talk back to Rhonda or she catches you outside, again, she will kill you the next time," she said.

"What's the point? We will all die here anyway," Angel replied, but Rosie hugged her.

"I also said that myself, but I believe that we will be rescued someday," she said.

Angel was so tired and she wondered off to sleep and so did everyone else.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Mok felt quite uneasy when he ventured out of his room for the first time, but he forced himself to do something that would keep him busy.

At first, he sat outside alone, watching the inhabitants walk around the grounds till curfew.

After a few days, Mok was comfortable enough to join the other inhabitants in the lounge or outside.

A few people stopped and asked, "So, you are really Mok Swagger? Not some look-alike?"

He assured them that he was the real deal and most of the patients became crazy with excitement.

The hallucinations were becoming less and less frequent, but Mok knew he still had a long way to go.

One day, Mok sat outside, watching some of the patients play badminton.

"Mok!" a voice called from behind him. He turned around to see Nicholai walking up to him.

"Are you doing anything today?" Nicholai asked and Mok shook his head.

"C'mon, there is somebody I want you to meet," he said and Mok followed him to the lounge.

Nicholai still had bandages on his face, but Mok noticed that he was dressed in very nice clothes.

When they reached the entrance of the center, a little voice calls out, "Daddy!" A little girl with a mouse face, short black hair, and beaming hazel eyes ran up to Nicholai and he lifted her into his arms.

An older woman, who also had a mouse face walked up to Nicholai and hugged him.

"Mok, this is my mother, Lisa," Nicholai said, "And this here's my bundle of joy, Minnie."

Lisa stared at Mok and asks, "You're not Mok Swagger, are you?"

"I hate to correct you, but I am," he replied and turns to face Minnie.

The mouse girl looked at him, but buried her face in her father's chest. "She may be tough as nails, but she hates strangers," Nicholai said and he led them back outside.

"When are you coming home?" Minnie asked.

"In two weeks and when I get back, we're going to have a lot of fun," her dad replied as they walked around the grounds.

"Good, because grandma's place is boring," Minnie said to her father.

"I'm boring?" Lisa asked, "Oh, you just broke my old heart."

"No, I mean, there's nothing to do," Minnie said to the old mouse and Lisa ruffled the little girl's hair.

"Nicholai," Mok whispered to him, "Your wife is not coming?" he asked.

Nicholai looked at Mok and then at his daughter. "Minnie, why don't you make a wish at the fountain?" he asked and handed her a copper penny.

Minnie trotted over to the fountain with Lisa behind her, leaving Nicholai with Mok.

"Are you…the d word?" Mok asked in a whisper.

"Actually, it's the w word," Nicholai answered and Mok was shocked.

"My wife and I went out one night, leaving Minnie at my mom's. A drunk driver was driving the wrong way and hit us head-on," Nicholai explained and Mok was saddened by this information. "Our car burst into flames. My face got third degree burns and my wife burned to death."

"Oh God, I am so sorry," Mok said to him. "How did Minnie react when she was told of her mother's death?" he asked.

"Well, my mom said that she told Minnie that her mom was dead and will be sleeping for a long time, but Minnie didn't understand. It wasn't until later, when she visited me in the hospital that she realized that her mother was gone," Nicholai replied.

"What about that asshole driver? I would give anything to see him in jail," Mok said, again, but Nicholai shook his head.

"He's dead, too. Died upon impact I was told," he replied and Mok gave a sneer.

Then, Minnie came up to Mok and stares at him, "Why are you talking to my dad?" she asked.

"Sweetie, he's my friend, friends talk," Nicholai said to his daughter.

"How come you never told me about him?" Minnie asked, again.

Mok came down to her level and says, "Are you protecting your father from me?"

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," Minnie replied and Mok chuckled.

"You are very smart, but I can assure you that I'm not a stranger," he said, but Minnie didn't laugh.

"I'll ask you one more question; how old are you?" Mok asked.

Minnie, however, did not answer the question and kept quiet. "Minnie, it's okay, you can talk to him," Nicholai said to his daughter, but she did not obey.

Mok began to think; maybe he could show her a magic trick and that might get her talking.

"Nicholai, do you have a penny that I could borrow?" Mok asked and his comrade handed him one.

The rock star showed the penny to Minnie and then, he took a bite of it!

The little girl gasped, "How did you do that?" she asked, but he held up a hand.

Mok showed her the bitten penny and he blew on it and the penny became intact, again!

Minnie clapped her hands and Mok handed back the penny to Nicholai.

"Will you teach me to do that?" Minnie asked.

"After you lose all of your baby teeth," Mok said and ruffled the girl's hair.

"By the way, I'm 4 and a half," the girl replied, again.

The Lenzo's and Mok continued their walk around the grounds.

"Mok, you're not seeing any more illusions are you?" Nicholai asked him.

"No and I want to thank you for assuring me that," Mok replied.

Minnie came to Mok's side and asks, "Why are you here?"

Mok felt uneasy about answering that question, wondering how he could explain it and looks at Nicholai. "It's alright, she understands everything," he said.

"Well Minnie, I have been doing drugs for a long time. I'm here to break my addiction," Mok answered the girl's question.

"Why did you do drugs?" Minnie asked, again.

"I…well, it sort of calmed me in a way and I liked it," he replied.

They continued their walk and admired the scenery and the view of the mountains.

"Mr. Swagger?" Minnie asked, again and he looks at her. "Do you have a family?"

Mok felt a burning sensation in his stomach, he wasn't sure why, but he just felt disturbed by the question.

"I think that's enough questions for him today, sweetie," Nicholai said to his daughter.

"No, I don't have a family," Mok answered.

"What about friends? Maybe someone you love?" Minnie asked and he shook his head. "Don't you get lonely sometimes?"

"Minnie, that's enough," Nicholai ordered and his daughter stopped talking. "I'm sorry, she's always curious about other people," he said to Mok.

Evening came and visiting hours were done. Minnie and Lisa bid goodbye to Mok and Nicholai.

"Goodbye Minnie, I hope to see you, again," Mok said to the girl, but then, she hugs him.

"I hope you find someone who will love you," she replied and Mok returns the hug.

Minnie and her grandmother leave and the two men head to the lounge.

"Nicholai, I think it's time that I tell you something. I have never told anyone this, but I believe you are trustworthy enough to keep silent from the media," Mok said and the two sit down in a quiet part of the lounge.


	14. Author's Note

Author's Note

Okay, I admit it, I do have a soft spot for some (male) villains. However, Mok caught my attention completely. While others would say that he is pure evil, but I view him as a victim of drug abuse and of a terrible past.

As for Angel's relationship with Omar, I saw it as not the kind of two people being in love or something like that. I see Omar as a jerk, especially the way he treated Angel during the band tryouts at Lars'.

By the way, I really don't know much about drugs, besides learning about them in school, and of the rehabilitation program that drug or alcohol addicts go through. So, I did my best in giving info about Mok's rehab process.

As for the Black Widow's illegal call-girl business: since 'Rock and Rule' is set in the future, I thought that maybe the United States, or whatever it would be called in the future, would have laws that make prostitution completely illegal. I know that prostitution is illegal in the US, apart from some places in Nevada, but you'll probably get the idea, I hope.

Also, I know that in the movie, New York is called Nuke York, but I had a hard time thinking about what names the cities in the US would be called after the Nuclear Apocalypse. So I kept the original names.

That's all I have to say. You're probably thinking about what will happen to Angel? Or what is Mok's secret? Will they be reunited? And better yet, will Rhonda and her goons face justice for the deeds they have done? And what of Omar?

Before I forget, I'll write Dizzy and Stretch in the story somewhere, so don't worry.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

While Mok was in rehab and Angel was in Miami, Ohmtown was buzzing with a different kind of trouble.

Days after selling Angel to the drug dealers, Omar had finished sniffing the cocaine. The substance gave him a good buzz, but he had to keep his addiction a secret from Dizzy and Stretch.

On the night he sold Angel, Dizzy and Stretch had found Omar, camping out in the abandoned car. "Hey Omar," Stretch said to him. "Did you hear? Mok is in the hospital and will be entering rehab."

"And why does this concern me?" Omar asked, hoping that they did not find the cocaine in the glove compartment.

"There's no mention of Angel," Dizzy replied.

"Yeah and I'm kind of worried, you haven't heard from her have you?" Stretch asked Omar.

"No," he lied and they bought it and left him.

Since that night, Omar enjoyed sniffing up the cocaine. However, his thoughts were on Angel and he really wished he punched her for threatening him.

Now, he really enjoyed hitting Angel because according to him she was very spirited and he thought it was a threat to his authority over her.

The first time they met, it was love at first sight. They went out every weekend for three weeks and Angel wanted to take a break from dating, mainly because they didn't have money.

"You think I'm poor? Well for your information I have plenty to go around," he said to her in a threatening tone.

"No, I just think we should save up for things that we want to do," Angel replied, but that made Omar tick.

"For three weeks, we have been doing what you want! What about the stuff that I want to do?!" he yelled at her.

"Omar, I think you're overacting," she said and in a heartbeat, Omar punched her in the cheek.

Angel was stunned. She rubbed her cheek, while staring at Omar. She thought she saw steam coming out of his nose.

She immediately ran away from him and Omar regretted in hitting her, but for some reason, it felt good.

By the next morning, Omar called Angel at her apartment to apologize, saying he would never hit her, again.

She believed him and forgave him by opening up her place to him.

However, things went terribly wrong for Angel. Omar ordered her to quit her job as an assistant at the police station, despite the fact that Angel wanted to become an officer of the law.

"Women should not be out on the street barking orders at everyone," Omar told her and said that he would financially provide for the both of them.

Omar knew that Angel wanted to become a police investigator ever since her parents were murdered and their killer was never found. Angel dedicated herself in the station and the commissioner respected her for her cause, saying that she was eligible to go to the academy once her tuition was fully paid.

However, Omar said to her one day, "A woman will never strike rich with that kind of job. No, you should go into the music business."

Angel was a good singer, but she didn't see the point of becoming a musician because it wasn't her passion.

After Angel resigned from her job, Omar went to work at a fast food joint. At night, they would go out to every bar and play rock music to the patrons.

They met Dizzy and Stretch at one bar and they played a song together and the crowd loved it.

Unfortunately, two months after Angel quit her job, Omar was fired for being high on drugs.

He blamed his predicament on Angel and began shouting insults and hitting her. Her screams caused the neighbors to call the police and Omar was arrested for domestic violence.

It was during Angel's visit to him in jail that he apologized, again, and said he really blamed it on the drugs. Angel believed him and asked the commissioner to drop the charges. Omar was allowed to go and he went searching for another job.

However, no one would hire him due to failing the drug test and was unemployed for quite some time. Angel insisted that she go back to her job at the police station, but Omar ordered her to not go back.

A few months later, Angel and Omar were evicted from the apartment and began to live on the streets. Dizzy and Stretch offered help by giving them some money, but Omar did not take it, saying, "We don't need charity."

One month after being kicked out, Angel finally got the guts to tell Omar that she was leaving him. Omar went ballistic. In his rage, he made a sharp point on a stick and placed it over his heart.

"If you dare leave me, I will kill myself, and the best part is that I will make it look like you did it," he threatened her and she believed him.

For two long years, Angel suffered at the hands of Omar. She had to stay in the relationship and endure the abuse because she feared Omar would keep his word.

It was purely by chance that one night, Mok discovered Angel's singing talent at Lars' and sent her an invitation to come to his place.

Omar, believing that Angel would leave him, made himself look like a jerk in front of Mok's goons. However, he fell for the Edison balls and Mok had his servants kick Omar, Stretch, and Dizzy out.

The real breaking point came for Omar when he found Angel in the arms of Mok. He failed to realize that it was an imposter posing as Angel.

"I should've killed you right there! You left me for that old bastard!" Omar said to himself.

When he got back to Ohmtown, he fed his anger towards Angel by planning his revenge. He just happened to see Angel at the bus station and he feared she was leaving him, again.

"She got what she deserved," Omar said to himself, again.

Right now, he was losing a certain buzz and he needed some cash. Omar went around town, breaking into unsecured cars, finding some money and a gun.

"I'll show those idiots who's in charge," he said, hiding the weapon in the front of his pants and went on his way.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

At the White Ridge Mountain Rehabilitation Center, Mok began to tell his story to Nicholai.

_It was 45 years ago, a year before I was born. My mother and father married, but I believe my mother thought it was a big mistake in her life._

_My father, whom I called him Bull for he had the temperament of one, began to control my mother, Cherine's life ever since the day they got back from their honeymoon._

_Bull ordered her to never get a job because he wanted her to be the typical housewife. Every day, she clean and dust their apartment, iron Bull's shirts, cook his meals, and do the shopping. If she ever questioned his authority over her, he responded by beating her._

_Bull was also an alcoholic and he spent every cent on vodka and whiskey. Whenever he got drunk, Bull would rape Cherine._

_It was one of the rapes that Cherine got pregnant with me. Bull did not want children and he ordered her to have an abortion. She defied him and went on to have me._

_Bull told the doctors that my name would be Mok because I was a mockery to him. _

_For as long as I can remember, Bull would come home late and drunk. Cherine would sometimes ask him if he brought home any money, but he would not say._

_While I was growing up, I remember going to bed hungry because there was no money for dinner. _

_When I was 8, Bull came home early one day. Cherine was out shopping and I knew I should've stayed a little longer at school that day. Bull had been drinking and he went on saying that his boss fired him for being drunk on the job. _

_He then broke the vodka bottle he had been drinking out of and attacked me with a shard. He cut me from my shoulder down to my stomach._

_Cherine came home and found me, bleeding on the floor. She took me out of the apartment and to the hospital, where I received probably 100 stitches. _

_We went back to the apartment and started packing what we need. Then Bull came back, rambling on about how sorry he was for attacking me, but Cherine would not hear it._

_He then took out a very sharp knife and started cutting himself. He then threatened Cherine by saying he will commit suicide and make it look like she killed him. _

_She believed him and we had to stay in that apartment of terror. _

_It was later that I found comfort in music and magic. When I was old enough, I began to play music in many places in order to support myself and Cherine. Bull did not approve of my career choice, said I should go and shout orders at everyone, but I did not like it._

_I had to hide my earnings from him because he would take them and spend them on booze. _

_It was then that my life took a turn, I don't know if it was for the worst or the better. When I was 21, I came home one day and found Bull shouting insults and punching Cherine. That made me tick and I pushed him off my mother. He was quite stunned and he started attacking me._

_The years of enduring Bull's abuse fueled my anger towards him. It was during the scuffle that I managed to get a sharp knife and stab Bull in the chest. I don't know how deep it went, but he died when he hit the floor._

_When Cherine saw what I had done, she ordered me to take all my earnings and whatever I can carry and leave and never come back. _

_It was all a blur from there, but I remember getting on a bus heading to Ohmtown. From there, I made a living performing at bars and nightclubs. _

_I remember my first take of cocaine and other drugs and I loved it. Then, I was becoming a local celebrity and my name popped up everywhere, on billboards, in magazines, you name it. _

_Then the whole world knew my name and my talent and I gave it all to them, but my story is not quite finished._

_The first woman I fell in love with was Emmy, whom I met during a night on the town and I was high on drugs at that time._

_She brought me back to her place and nursed me back to health. She insisted that I quit the drugs and do my acts while clean. _

_I did what she told me and I was drug-free for about three years. Unfortunately, it was during that time that Emmy's cancer became aggressive and eating her life away. _

_Before she passed, she made me swear that I find someone to share my hardships with and never go back to the drugs. When she died, I broke the promise._

_I returned to the drugs and never found anyone who would understand my hardships, but I had other relationships with women, none were permanent. 20 years I lived with that guilt.  
_

_Then I was hooked on a myth. The legend goes that whoever opens the door between this world and the other, a monster would arise and grant whoever summoned it many wishes. _

_In order to release the creature, I needed a special voice to open the portal. I traveled around the world to find this special voice, but I really didn't need to look far._

_I found her, Angel._

Mok stopped talking when he mentioned the name. "Angel," he repeated.

"You never went through with your plan because something or that girl made you change your mind," Nicholai said, looking at Mok.

"No, I fell…I fell in love with Angel, that's what made me stop from achieving that plan," the rock star replied. "And when your daughter asked me, I realized that Angel was the one."

Nicholai looked at Mok, astonished by his story. They were quiet for some time till a nurse came into the lounge and calls out, "Curfew everyone! Time to turn in!"

Nicholai led his friend back to his room. When they got to the door, Nicholai says, "Mok, I can keep your story a secret, even from the media. I do have a question, what happened to Angel?"

"I let her go," Mok answered.

"Go? You mean you let her walk out without telling her?" Nicholai asked.

Mok placed a hand over his mouth and didn't answer. "If I were you, I start looking for her when you go home," Nicholai said to him.

"When I complete my rehab I will and I want to thank you for listening, because I never told anyone. Can I trust you in not telling anyone else? Not even Minnie?" Mok asked.

"Of course, I cross my heart," Nicholai replied and the two retired to bed.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Angel had lost track of how many days it had been since she was brought to the Black Widow Casino Hotel.

Ever since the incident at the showers, she became wise enough to not disobey any more rules or else be thrown in the dark cell with no food and water.

She entertained or bedded at least 15 clients every single night and it was revolting to her.

A couple of times, Kenna spread rumors that Angel was not good at having sex with clients and most of the time, Angel didn't have to bed with them. She was grateful for that, as it gave her some sort of relief.

However, it was one night that Angel happened to hear Mok's voice over the stereo in one of her clients' room.

"Do you like that?" her customer asked.

"Yeah, I actually met Mok one time," Angel replied, but her client didn't believe her. "Is it all right to let it play?" she asked and he nodded.

While she was being violated, she listened to Mok's singing from the stereo and it gave her comfort.

'_One day, I hope he will rescue me,'_ her thoughts said.

When the client was done with her, Angel was allowed to go. She returned to the girls' wing and discovered Rosie, sleeping in her futon.

Helga was beside her, wiping Rosie's forehead with a damp towel. "Helga, what's wrong with Rosie?" Angel asked.

"She's caught a fever. I had some other girls take over her appointments because I think this won't disappear overnight," Helga answered and Angel came to Rosie's side.

Angel and Helga stayed by her side, but the fever didn't go down, and they called on Rhonda late that night.

"She needs a doctor, I don't think this will be a passing thing," Angel said to the woman, hoping that Rhonda would show mercy.

Rhonda summoned Andro to take Rosie outside of the wing and Angel dared herself to see what was going on.

Rhonda whispered something in Andro's ear and he placed Rosie down on the ground.

Just then, Andro twisted Rosie's neck and a sickening crack was heard and the poor girl fell over, dead.

"NOOOO! NOOOO!" Angel cried out as Andro and Rhonda took Rosie's body away.

Angel wanted to attack Rhonda, but Helga held her back, and Angel broke into rasping sobs.

Angel did not stop crying throughout the remainder of the night. She mourned over the loss of her friend who was hoping to be rescued one day.

Kenna, having enough of Angel's crying, came over to her and says, "Why don't you just shut up?! She was a whore like you and me!"

At that moment, Angel finally snapped. She jumped on Kenna, pushing her to the floor, and began to punch her. The memories of being abused by Omar and of her current situation fueled her anger.

Helga and some of the other girls pulled Angel away from Kenna, just as Rhonda came in. "What the hell happened here?" she demanded and then saw Kenna, her face was black, blue, and bloody.

Rhonda summoned Andro and points to Angel. "Take this one to the cell. No food and no water," she ordered and the muscular man took Angel.

"Just you wait! Justice will come for Rosie!" Angel cried out as she was dragged to the cell.

Andro pushed her into the dark room and locked the door. Angel began to pound and kick at the door, but she was exhausted and stopped.

More tears flowed down her cheeks and she quietly mourned the death of Rosie.

"I swear to you, someone will rescue us, and justice will come for you," Angel said to herself and cried herself to sleep.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Mok was not sure how long it has been since he arrived at the center, but he was sure that he was almost done with the rehab process.

He asked Nicholai about how many days it has been. "Oh gosh, I don't know. I lost track after 10 days for me," he answered.

Mok decided to ask Dr. Pryce and she replies, "You have one more week of your rehab." "Are you serious?" he asked her, again.

"I am serious, unless you want to be released early since you've made a lot of progress," Dr. Pryce said to him, but he shook his head.

Awhile later, Mok began to walk outside, watching the other rehab inhabitants and looking at the mountains.

'_I'm almost there Emmy and when I get out, I'm going to find Angel,' _he said in his mind.

Down the path, Mok noticed Nicholai talking to Lisa, his mother. He walked up to them, but was surprised to see that Minnie was not there.

"Lisa, it's good to see you, again," Mok said to her.

"And it's good to see you, too. Nicholai was just telling me about your progress and I do hope you stay on the right path from now on," Lisa replied and Mok chuckled.

"Where's Minnie? I was hoping she be with you today," he asked Nicholai.

"I hate to say this, but she didn't want to come," Lisa said, again, and Mok felt his stomach drop.

Just then, someone placed their hands over Mok's eyes and a little voice says, "Gotcha!"

Mok had to laugh and he turned around, seeing Minnie standing on a boulder, and he took her in his arms.

"Oh you got me," he said and then noticed Minnie was missing a front tooth when she smiled. "What happened to your tooth?"

"I tried taking a bite of a penny, but then my tooth fell out," Minnie replied.

"I told you to wait for you to lose all your baby teeth," Mok said to her.

"But you made it look so easy," the little girl replied.

"Being a magician is not that easy, it takes years to become a master," he said, setting her down on the ground, but still held her hand.

The four of them walked along the path till Minnie stopped and says to her father, "Tell him daddy! Tell him!"

"Tell me what?" Mok asked and looks at Nicholai.

"Minnie is going to spend the night here and she thought up a brilliant idea," he answered.

"And what is this brilliant idea?" Mok asked Minnie.

"Star gazing," she answered, but he looked at Nicholai with a surprised face.

"Does Dr. Pryce know about this?" Mok asked, again.

"Of course she does, stop worrying so much, this might actually relax you," Nicholai replied.

Mok took a deep breath; Nicholai was right, Mok really needed to relax.

"By the way," Nicholai said. "I heard that you have one week before your release, but you should take up on being released early."

"I have thought about that, but I figured it would be better if I completed my rehab," Mok replied.

Sunset came and the sky was painted with golden clouds and darkness followed.

Lisa bid goodnight to the three and went on her way home. Nicholai, Mok, and Minnie headed out on the open plain, looking for a spot.

"Right here," Nicholai said, pointing to a hillside. "That will block the light from the center."

They laid out two blankets on the grass and lay on their backs, watching as the stars started to shine.

Mok did not remember the last time he viewed the stars, but he felt a sense of tranquility while gazing up at them.

"Hey, I can see the Big Dipper," Minnie said, pointing up. Mok followed her fingers as she made the outline of the constellation.

"That's actually part of the Ursa Major," Nicholai replied and he made the outline.

"What is the Ursa Major?" Minnie asked her father.

"The Great Bear, a creature that once roamed these lands," he replied.

Mok remembered learning about the animals that once lived among the humans before the Nuclear Wipe-out.

"What happened to them?" Minnie asked.

"A thousand years ago, way before any of us was born," Mok replied, "There was a great war being fought among the humans. They used a weapon called a nuclear warhead and it wiped out everything in its path. Unfortunately, the humans did not realize the consequences of their actions and they and some of the animal species died out, either from being incinerated or died from the lack of food."

"If the humans died, how did we come into existence?" Minnie asked, again.

"Well, our ancestors, who survived the Wipe-out, were affected by the nuclear radiation and mutated," Nicholai said. "It will be easy to understand when you are older."

The three watched the stars twinkle and pointed out the constellations.

"Oh look!" Minnie exclaimed as a shooting star flew across the sky.

"Go ahead you two, make a wish," Nicholai said to them.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Mok asked as he never heard something like that.

"Don't you know? When you see a shooting star, you can make a wish and it might come true," Minnie explained and Mok believed her.

'_I wish oh bright star that I be given guidance in finding Angel and tell her how much she means to me,'_ Mok's mind said and the star disappeared.

"What did you wish for?" Minnie asked.

"If we tell you, it won't come true," Nicholai said to her and she groaned.

The three packed up the blankets and headed back to the center.

"Goodnight Mr. Swagger," Minnie said to Mok.

"Goodnight sweetie," he replied and he went into his room.

Before heading to bed, Mok went out on the porch and gazed up at the stars one last time.

'_Emmy, I hope you can help me in finding Angel,'_ he prayed and retired to his bed.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

_The rock star awoke, but something did not feel right. His ears picked up the sound of crashing waves and honking horns._

_Mok looked out the window, but instead of seeing the mountains, he saw a white-sand beach and a crystal blue ocean._

_He went out and walked around the beach and then, the sun disappeared upon the horizon and it got dark._

"_Mok!" a woman's voice called out and he turned to see someone._

_"Mok!" the woman called, again, and he ran towards the voice. Then, up on a boardwalk, Mok spotted Angel, dressed in a skimpy school girl's outfit, but blood began to seep through the clothes._

"_Angel!" he cried out and rushed toward her. Suddenly, a dark force grabbed him and he struggled to get free. _

_Then, he saw Angel being taken away by a man Mok had never seen before. _

"_Mok, look there!" she called and pointed to a building with a red neon sign saying 'Black Widow'. _

_The dark force began to swallow Mok and he watched as Angel was being taken away. _

"_Help me, Mok! Please help me!" she cried out._

"_I will! I will find you! I promise!" he called back as the darkness swallowed him._

Mok awoke with a start; sweat was trickling down his forehead. He was back in his room at the rehab center.

He immediately turned on the light and located his journal and wrote down:

_White sand beach_

_Blue ocean_

_A building with the words 'Black Widow'_

_Angel being taken by someone_

'_This has to be a message from Emmy,' _his thoughts said. He felt eager to ask Nicholai or someone who knew about the location he saw in his dream.

By first light, Mok joined Nicholai and Minnie for breakfast, having his journal with him.

"Nicholai, I need your help with something," he said to his comrade. He showed Nicholai what he wrote and Nicholai's eyes grew wide.

"Is something wrong?" Mok asked and Nicholai looked at him and then at his daughter.

"Minnie, why don't you go and buy some fruit or something for us," he said to her and she left the table.

Nicholai turned to face Mok. "Listen very carefully. There is a place called the Black Widow Casino Hotel in Miami, Florida. There are many rumors that the owner runs a call-girl business on the side," Nicholai explained.

"Prostitution?" Mok asked and Nicholai nods.

"More like sex slavery. Some say that the hotel would kidnap girls that are young as my daughter's age or sometimes 'buy' them from dealers," he added.

"Did anyone tell the police about this?" Mok asked, again.

"Last time I remembered hearing about it, the police commissioner said he can't get a warrant because there is no evidence that support the rumors," Nicholai answered and Mok placed a hand over his mouth.

"Even if the rumors are not true, there is nothing that will make me go to Miami, for Minnie's sake," Nicholai said, again.

"I don't blame you, but I might have to risk myself in going to the Black Widow," Mok replied.

"Why are you interested in going there? Apart from the dream you had," Nicholai asked.

"I am certain that it was a message about Angel being in danger," Mok answered.

"Who's Angel?" The two men jumped when Minnie came back with a bowl of fruit.

Mok cleared his throat and answers, "Someone I want to…get back together with."

"Oh, you mean she's your friend?" Minnie asked and Mok nodded and looked at the fruit bowl.

"Or someone you love?" Minnie added and Mok gave a smile. "I knew it! There is someone in your life!" she exclaimed.

"Okay Minnie, don't get too excited," Nicholai ordered and the little girl stopped squiggling.

Mok began to think; if the rumors about the prostitution ring within the Black Widow were true, he would have to leave rehab and go to Miami.

"Excuse me, I have to speak with Dr. Pryce," he said to the two and left the table.

Mok located her office and knocked at the door, "Come in," she called out and he entered.

"Mr. Swagger, is there something I can help you with?" she asked.

"Is it possible for me to re-take that offer of being released early?" he said and Dr. Pryce looked through a chart.

"How soon do you want to leave?" she asked, again.

"Today, if possible," Mok answered and Dr. Pryce looked at him.

"Mind if I ask why?" she asked.

"It's a private matter, a sort of emergency to be exact," he replied.

Dr. Pryce looked through a file and says, "Give me an hour and I'll send your file to the board. If they say you are well enough to leave, you can go by mid-afternoon."

"Oh thank you Dr. Pryce," Mok said and left the room.

He returned to the Lenzo's and explained what he was planning to do, excluding the fact that he was going to Miami.

"Are you all better?" Minnie asked and he nodded.

"A lot better," he replied and she hugged him.

"That's what I wished for," she whispered and he hugged her back. "But can you promise me something?" she asked and he listened. "You promise to never do drugs, again?"

"I promise," Mok said and Minnie folded her arms over her chest.

"Is something wrong?" he asked and Nicholai chuckled.

"You have to cross your heart," Nicholai replied and showed Mok to cross a heart.

"I cross my heart," the rock star said and did so.

"And?" Minnie asked, but Mok was confused and looks at Nicholai.

"You say 'and hope to die'," he added, but Mok was bewildered by this.

"And I hope to die," Mok said and Minnie nodded her head.

"Didn't anyone teach you that?" she asked and Mok shook his head. "Not even your dad?"

"Uh, sweetie, Mr. Swagger doesn't want to—" "It's okay, I'll tell her," Mok said and took Minnie and placed her on his lap.

"Minnie, when I was growing up, I didn't have a loving father like yours. In fact, my father would hit me and my mother whenever he got the chance," he said to her.

"Why did he hit you?" Minnie asked.

"He was an alcoholic and whenever he got drunk, he do terrible things," Mok replied and Minnie hugged him, again.

"I hate drunken people," she said in a tiny voice, "One drunken man killed my mommy and hurt my daddy real bad."

"I know sweetie, I hate drunks, too," Mok replied and rubbed her back.

"Did you get away from your daddy?" Minnie asked, again and Mok began to think of an answer.

"Yes, when I was old enough to support myself," he answered.

"What about your mommy? Did she leave him, too?" she asked once more and Mok could not think of an answer.

"I think it's best if I tell you the whole story when you are older," he said and she frowned and he chuckled.

"Why do I have to wait to get older?" Minnie asked her father this time.

"So your brain can get big and suck up more information," Nicholai answered.

The three left the dining area of the center and went to the badminton court, where they watched a few patients play a few rounds.

A couple of times, the birdie got out of the fence and Minnie would throw it back.

"Hey!" one of the players called to her, "Do you want to play? I'm getting tired."

"I'm not supposed to play with strangers!" she called back, but Nicholai chuckled.

"It's okay, you can play," he said, but Minnie shook her head. "Sorry, she doesn't like playing with strangers!" Nicholai called to the players and they waved.

"Is it okay if I watch?" Minnie asked.

"Sure," her father answered and she went to sit at a rusty steel chair.

"Your daughter is a loving creature," he said to Nicholai.

"She takes after her mother," Nicholai replied, "Mok, there's something I want to tell you."

Mok looked at Nicholai and listened.

"If anything were to happen to me, I want you to take care of Minnie," Nicholai said and Mok released a sigh.

"Of course Nicholai," he assured his friend, "If I did release the 'Other Being', then I would've ruined both your lives."

"And everyone else. Mok, a life is meant to learn, live, and love. If it were to be taken away, well, I don't know what to think," Nicholai said just as Minnie calls out, "Oh look!"

The two men looked and noticed that the birdie was way above one player's head. The birdie came down and the player tried to hit it, but the birdie flew into the player's shirt!

The man shook his body, trying to get the birdie out of his shirt, and Minnie started to laugh. Mok and Nicholai began to chuckle, too.

Minnie returned to them and they went back to the center.


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Lunch time came around, but deep in the dark hallways of the Black Widow Casino Hotel, Angel was alone in the cell.

She had been lying on the cold, hard floor ever since last night. She was tired from crying out the tears in her eyes, but more came every minute.

"C'mon big girl," she said to herself, "I think that's enough."

However, her body refused to obey and wails of anguish came out of her mouth.

Suddenly, someone banged on the door, "Shut up!" Angel heard Andro's voice from the other side.

She obeyed, but then came the sniffs and hiccups.

"Man, what is it with you? You bitches are lower than scum," Andro said and Angel charged at the door.

"We are not scum! You and your boss are going to pay for what you've done!" she yelled out and slammed her fist at the door.

"That'll be the day!" Andro shouted back and Angel heard him leave.

"Hey! Come back! I'm not finished with you, asshole!" she yelled, but she sighed.

Angel looked out to see the blue ocean and watched it till she got tired and sat down on the floor.

She never prayed before, but if there was a god or a thousand gods, maybe one would hear her, or perhaps Rosie's spirit would.

'_Rosie, if you are in the afterlife, I'm sorry, I didn't protect you. But maybe you can help. Please, help guide Mok here and help him rescue us,'_ she prayed.

Then she heard her stomach grumble, it was loud and her belly started to hurt.

"I hope I'll be able to eat when I get of here," Angel said to herself and lay down on the ground.

Her mind began to fill up with the memories of Mok and his kindness in releasing her.

"Please come and save us, save me," Angel said aloud and drifted off to sleep.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Shortly after 12, Dr. Pryce gave word to Mok that the board had made their decision.

"You're free to leave," she said and adds, "I took the liberty and called your chauffer, he'll be here in a few minutes."

"I can't thank you enough," he said to her and rejoined the Lenzo's in the lounge.

"I heard you're leaving," Nicholai said and placed a hand on Mok's shoulder. "You be careful; Miami is not like any safe haven," he added and they embraced.

Mok looked down at Minnie, who looked upset. "I hate to see you go," she said and he hugged her.

"Don't be sad, in fact, I'm grateful that I've met you," he said, "I be more than happy if you come and visit me."

"Really?" Minnie asked and he nodded, "I hope you find your lady friend," she added.

Toad had arrived by mid-afternoon on the dot and the media had followed him to the center.

"Sorry boss, those sons-of-bitches have been tailing me for miles," Toad said to his employer.

"Not your fault, I am prepared to tell them," Mok replied and took one last look at Minnie and Nicholai, who were waving goodbye.

The rock star, followed by Toad entered out of the entrance and into the swarm of paparazzi, cameramen, and reporters.

"I have a few things to say," Mok spoke in a loud voice, "I have completed my rehab and I wish to thank the doctors and other staff for assisting me in the program. I am keeping a promise to myself; I will never go back to the drugs, no matter the temptation. I also want to thank the Lenzo's for being such good people and for being there for me."

Toad had pushed aside the media people and helped his employer get into the limo.

"Ready to go home?" the chauffer asked.

"We're not going home, yet that is, take me to the airport," Mok said. "Contact your siblings, we're going to Miami."

"Miami?!" Toad exclaimed as he drove away from the rehab center.

"Not for fun," Mok snapped, "We're going there on a hunch; I just hope that I'm right."

He then turned on M.A.I. and she says, "Welcome back, Mok. I assume that you have completed your rehab."

"Yes M.A.I." he replied and says, "I have a favor to ask you."

"Anything Mok," the computer responded.

"Make a reservation at the Black Widow Casino Hotel in Miami," he ordered and M.A.I. went to work.

"Boss, did you say the Black Widow?" Toad asked.

"Yes, do you know about the rumors?" Mok replied and his chauffeur nodded.

M.A.I. came back, "The reservation is complete, Mok. Ms. Rhonda Legrand will greet you personally," she said.

"Good, I have another favor," Mok replied, "Make a call to the Miami police; see if you can get the commissioner on the line."

M.A.I. connected to the Miami police department and a male voice says, "This is Commissioner Holton. I hope this isn't a prank call, otherwise I'll—"

"You what, Commissioner? Sue me?" Mok asked in a cold voice.

"Oh gosh, you really are Mok! Man, I recognize your voice anywhere! Forgive me, but I have been dealing with prank callers, it's really irritating," Holton said.

"Before we get off topic, I want to ask you about the Black Widow Casino Hotel," Mok replied, "Do you suspect that the rumors are true?"

"About the prostitution ring? I don't know if I should believe them or not. In fact, I had some people come in and tell me about the place, said that they met some call-girls. They also mentioned that the women had scars and bruises on their bodies and that got my attention completely.

"I actually had some of my officers go there undercover, but they just 'vanished'," Holton explained.

"What do you mean they just 'vanished'?" Mok asked, out of curiosity.

"We lost contact with them after they entered the casino. Unfortunately, I can't enter the premises without a warrant and to get one, I need some sort of evidence to show the judge, and she's very tough to impress," the commissioner explained.

"What sort of evidence?" Mok asked, his heart was pounding every second.

"Photographs or even a confession from the owner, Ms. Legrand. I asked her myself, but she naturally denied doing any sort of business. She was really ticked after I asked her," Holton answered.

Mok began to think, if he was going to save Angel from the Black Widow, he would also have to save the other women. In order to do that, he would have to confront Ms. Legrand.

"Commissioner, would you let me and my employees find some evidence? I have made a reservation there and Ms. Legrand would probably not suspect that I'm on a mission," Mok said.

"Mind if I ask why you are interested in going there? Apart from the rumors," Holton asked.

"I believe that someone I know is trapped there and I want to get her out," the rock star replied.

"Trapped?" Holton asked, again.

"I really don't want to get into details," Mok said and asks, "Can you lend us a camera and a tape-recorder?"

"Of course. When you arrive in Miami's airport, I'll be there," Holton replied, but Mok disagreed.

"That's too risky; there might be swarms of media personnel. Is there some place where we can meet without being noticed?" Mok asked.

Holton gave the street name where the police station was located. "There is a back alley, where no one will notice us," he said.

"My employees and I will arrive in Miami sometime in the evening," Mok replied and ended the call.

"I hate to intrude boss, but it's that girl you're after," Toad spoke to his employer.

Mok didn't say a word. For some reason, he wanted to deny the feeling that he would find Angel in a horrible place.

Awhile later, they reached Illinois' State International. Toad drove the limo onto the tarmac where Mok's private jet was waiting.

"Welcome boss!" Zip exclaimed when his employer stepped into the jet.

"Tell Sleazy to prepare for takeoff," Mok ordered, sitting down on a comfortable chair.

The jet engines roared to life and it took off into the sky, heading southeast.


	22. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Angel awoke sometime in the late afternoon, her stomach groaned and her head pounded.

"Oh, I'm so hungry," she said to herself.

Just then, she heard someone at the cell door and the clanging of keys. The door opened and Andro came into view. "C'mon get up, Rhonda has something to say," he ordered, pulling Angel to her feet.

She was led to the girls' wing, where everyone, including Beta and Andro were gathered.

Angel found Helga and came to her side. "What's going on?" she asked, but Helga shrugged.

"May I have your attention, please?!" Rhonda shouted over the chattering. "I've got exciting news; Mok Swagger is coming to spend the night here!"

The girls gasped, except for Angel. At first, she thought it was a cruel joke, but her heart was pumping hard and fast.

"I want every one of you to wash up and dress in your best!" Rhonda ordered and the girls went to the showers.

"Angel, are you okay?" Helga asked and snapped her fingers in front of her.

"Did Rhonda say Mok is coming?" Angel asked.

"She sure did. C'mon, we better get to the showers," Helga said and they joined the others.

Angel went into a shower stall and stood under the rushing water, it was lukewarm. She could hear the other girls chatter among themselves.

"Do you think Mok will call on me?" "No, it will be me!" "No, me!"

'_He's come to save me, I hope,'_ Angel thought and entered out of the stall.

She dried off and went back to the apartment to get her outfit. However, Kenna stood in front of the sliding door, her face was covered with black and blue bruises.

"Do you think Mok will call on you?" she taunted Angel. "If he calls on me, he'll flip when he sees this!"

Angel pushed her aside, Kenna was shocked by this. "You can't push me! I'm the top girl!"

"Does it look like I give a shit?!" Angel shouted and everyone around them stopped in their tracks.

"Let me ask you something," Angel said, "Did you cry when you came here? Why are you here in the first place? Did you even think about of being rescued?"

Kenna did not talk and everyone else stared at them. "Aren't you tired of bedding clients? Don't you want to see the outside, again?" Angel asked, again.

Kenna's eyes filled with tears, but she didn't let them fall, and she ran off to the showers.

"Damn, Angel," Helga said, "That's the first time someone spoke up to Kenna."

"She's going to kill you for what you said," one girl warned.

Angel got into her school girl outfit and looked in the mirror. She could see her ribs and she turned to see her back. There were some bruises that were turning yellow, but the wounds she got from being beaten were covered in scabs.

'_Please Mok, please save us, please save me,'_ she prayed and she waited to receive word of who will be seeing Mok.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Mok's private jet landed at Miami's International Airport, one of the few American airfields that survived the Nuclear Apocalypse.

The jet had stopped on a strip of tarmac and a stairway was pulled up to the door.

During the flight down to Miami, Mok had explained to his employees of what he suspects, including Angel being trapped at the Black Widow.

"Shit, pardon my French, but I really want to grind that bitch's ass to the asphalt," Cindy said, once Mok had finished telling.

"Just don't tell anyone of what I've told you, especially to Ms. Legrand," Mok ordered them and they nodded.

It was getting close to dusk as the sun was descending on the horizon and the sky was painted with gold and red.

Once Mok stepped onto the stairway, at least a dozen news station vans came flying towards the jet.

"Hey! Those guys are trespassing!" a security guard shouted, pointing to the vans and he called for reinforcements on his walkie-talkie.

Then dozens of airport security cars began to chase after the news vans.

"I don't have time for this, Toad, you drive," Mok ordered, pointing to the limo.

Toad confronted the driver of the limo, "Take the night off pal, my boss is letting me drive. Or better yet, take my brothers and sister to the Black Widow Casino Hotel," he said to the driver, whose face turned white.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Toad asked and the driver moved aside.

"I'll call for an airport cab," the driver said and went off

Then, a police car came up to the limo and someone stepped out of the passenger's side, "Mok Swagger?" a tall, rat humanoid with dark-tanned skin asked and Mok walks up to him.

"I'm Commissioner Holton, my partner and I will escort you to safety," Holton said and got back into the car.

Mok got into the limo and Toad followed the commissioner's vehicle. "Hang on boss, I just hope we're not dealing with crazy drivers," Toad said to his employer.

"Just don't kill us," Mok ordered and prayed that his chauffeur would not hit anybody.

Luckily, the news vans were scurried away by airport security and did not notice the limo heading out of the tarmac and out on the streets.

Toad stayed close behind the commissioner's car and turned into an alley behind a section of buildings.

The police vehicle stopped and so did the limo and Holton got out the car and walked up to the limo.

Mok walked up to him and Holton looks at him. "Dang, you're really Mok! At first, I thought you were some look-a-like," he said.

"I'm afraid I don't have time to talk, did you bring the camera and the tape-recorder?" the rock star asked.

The commissioner took out from his pocket a small device that had a speaker on it and some buttons. "Do you know how to use it?" Holton asked and Mok nodded.

Holton then pulled out a small digital camera. "Great thing about these devices is that they fit in your pocket or where ever," Holton said and handed the two devices to Toad.

"Just remember that all you need is some photos of the call-girls you come into contact with and maybe, if you are lucky, you can get whatever bruises or some sort abuse they have on their bodies.

"The only problem you might have to face is getting a confession from Ms. Legrand," Holton explained.

"I'll think of something," Mok replied and adds, "Thank you. I'll have one of my employees deliver these back to you some time tonight."

"Good luck," Holton said and asks, "Do you need an escort to the hotel?"

"No, it would raise Ms. Legrand's suspicions," Mok replied and got back into the limo.

The limo drove away from the alley and into the busy street, again. The sun had set, but its rays were still visible on the horizon, painting the sky gold.

'_Nicholai is right,'_ Mok's thoughts said to him, _'I should never take these people's freedom and a life is meant to see the beauty of this world.'_

"Boss, there it is," Toad said to him and Mok looked out the window.

A tall building, at least 30 stories high, towered high above the other buildings as if it were a castle. Spotlights were playing on the hotel and a neon sign featured red letters '_Black Widow'. _

"Remember what I told you, don't speak a word to anyone about the mission, and not even Ms. Legrand," Mok commanded and Toad pulled into the strip of pavement that led into the hotel's entrance.

Mok was surprised to see hundreds of people, mainly media personnel being pushed back by security.

Toad opened the door and Mok stepped into the noise and flashing of cameras and shouts of news people and the squealing of fans.

A red carpet led to the front glass door, but an ugly, stout woman with wrinkles on her face held out her hands, as if to embrace the rock star.

"Mok! Welcome to the Black Widow Casino Hotel! I'm Rhonda Legrand!" she exclaimed and she escorted him and Toad inside.

The casino was full of men, young and old. They clamored at the slot machines and the blackjack, poker, and roulette tables. Mok noticed a long line of men at a counter and Rhonda seemed to notice his curiosity.

She led him to the front of the counter, which caused the others to mutter under their breaths.

"I have a special secret that helps men relive themselves," Rhonda said to him and took a booklet from the man in charge of the counter.

What Mok saw in the booklet were photos of women and young girls, dressed in skimpy outfits, and he could tell that they were forced to smile. _'So the rumors were true',_ Mok's thoughts said.

He turned and looked at every page, till he found the one face that made his heart froze, Angel.

"You like that one?" Rhonda asked, but rage boiled inside Mok.

'_You make it sound like she's an object, you bitch!'_ his mind shouted, although he wished he could say it out loud, but he couldn't.

"Yes, I would like her. When will I expect here to come?" he asked, hiding his bitterness.

"Immediately, if you wish," Rhonda replied and adds, "By the way, I sent your employees to the presidential suite. Andro will show you to your room."

"Thank you," Mok said and saw the muscular man, whom he believed is Andro.

He led them to an elevator, where it took them to the 15th floor and Andro showed to a set of double doors. "Enjoy your stay," Andro said and opened them.

The room was very large with beige painted walls, complete with a queen size bed and a grand view of the ocean.

Mok stepped out onto the balcony and stared up at the sky, "I made it Emmy. I'm going to get Angel and the other girls out of here," he said to himself.


	24. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Down in the depths of the casino, Angel and the other girls were waiting, some were getting impatient.

Then, Rhonda appeared and looks around till she stops in front of Angel.

"You, head to the presidential suite," she ordered and Angel knew what the met. The other girls groaned in dismay. "Shut up!" Rhonda shouted and they went silent.

'_This is really happening,'_ Angel's mind said to her.

She headed up the spiral case, but during the ascension to the 15th floor, Angel became light-headed and started to see black spots in her vision.

"Don't pass out, don't pass out," she said to herself and went to the door where it led to the presidential suite.

Then, her hands began to shake; a sharp pain went through her abdomen and she felt like vomiting.

Just as she clutched the knob, Angel's knees buckled and she fell backward and landed on the floor with a thud.

"Please, someone," she said in a tiny whisper, "Mok, help me."

Angel struggled to stay awake, but then, she blacked out.


	25. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

In the suite, Mok's ears picked up the sound of a thud and perhaps, someone whispering.

"Did you hear that?" he asked his employees.

"I didn't hear anything," Sleazy replied and his siblings nodded.

Mok knew that he heard something behind the tapestry on the wall and he decided to pull it aside.

Behind it was a door and it was ajar. Mok pushed the door open, but halfway through, it was blocked by something on the other side.

Mok peeked his head through the opening and he looked to see a pair of legs. Skinny as he was, Mok squeezed through the crack and looked up the legs to see the face and his heart stopped.

"Angel!" he almost cried out and came down to his knees.

He shook Angel's shoulders and she moaned. "She's alive!" he said and lifted her up in his arms.

The door swung open and Toad saw Angel, "Holy—" "Quiet!" Mok ordered as he rushed Angel into the suite and onto the bed.

"Get some water and washcloths," he told his employees and they left the room.

Mok turned Angel over to see her back, discovering multiple bruises; some were black and blue, while some others were turning yellow. He also saw cuts that may require stitches.

"Oh, I shouldn't have let you leave, but why are you here?" Mok asked her, but she didn't seem to hear.

Toad came back with a bowl of water and a washcloth and Mok turned to Cindy. "Take pictures of these," he ordered, pointing to the bruises and open cuts.

Cindy took the camera and began to photograph Angel's back and her stomach as her ribs were showing.

"Do you mind if I cuss?" Cindy asked when she finished, anger was raging in her eyes.

"No, but keep your voice down," Mok said to her.

Cindy took a pillow, pressed it against her face and yelled all sorts of profanity into it, but her brothers could not make out the words.

"Whoa Cindy, calm down," Toad said to his sister, but she stared up at him with an annoyed face.

Then, Angel began to moan and started to flutter her eyes open. Her vision was blurry, but she could make out Mok's white hair wig.

"Mok…?" Angel said in a weak voice.

"Shhh," he replied, taking the damp washcloth and began to wipe her forehead.

"Are you really here?" she asked and touched his face. Tears filled her eyes and she threw her arms around him.

"Angel, it's all right, you're safe," Mok assured, but Angel shook her head.

"This place...is hell...no one is...safe here..." she said, tears streaming down her face.

"That's why we are getting you and the other women out of here," he replied, taking her in his arms. "But I'm going to need your help," he added.

Angel looked at him, her eyes were full of uncertainty. "What can I do to help?" she asked.

"I need you to take us where the other women are being held and help us find Legrand," Mok replied and Angel's eyes grew wide.

"I'll take you to the girl's wing, but you're going to have find another way up to Legrand's pent-house because the one way I know leads to a tapestry in her office," Angel explained.

"Why are there tapestries in every room? I mean if there are hundreds of them," Zip asked her.

"I think they are to hide the 'secret' door that the girls use to enter in the suites. I've only been here for about..." Angel began to think, but she grabbed her stomach as a loud groan emerged from belly. "I'm so hungry...I can't even think," she said.

"Lucky for me, I came prepared," Zip said and handed her an unwrapped nut bar.

Angel gobbled it down, but almost chocked on it. "That won't last for long and you need to see a doctor," Mok said.

Angel got up from the bed and led them to the tapestry and pulled it aside to reveal the hidden door. She led into the dark hallway and down the spiral staircase, but pointed up.

"Legrand's pent house is all the way up there, but like I said, you'll need to find another-" Angel stopped talking when she heard someone coming down the hall that led to the girls' wing.

"C'mon you stupid bitch!" Andro's voice shouted and a woman's cry followed.

Angel ran down the hallway. "Angel, stop!" Mok called after her and his employees followed close behind her.

Angel stopped to see Andro licking a young teenage girl's ear, who was crying as she was being violated.

"Stop it!" Angel shouted and charged at the muscular bodyguard. She was able to push him off the girl, but he grabbed her by her scalp.

"You have a lot of guts!" Andro said and threw her to the ground. "You know, I never got to finish you," he said and unbuckled his belt.

"Hey!" someone shouted and in a flash, Toad body slammed himself at Andro and they crashed to the ground.

"Who the hell are you?!" Andro demanded, but Toad clamped his mouth shut.

Mok came into view and helped Angel to her feet and they attended to the teenage girl. "Are you all right?" he asked, but the girl continued to cry.

"I hate him when he does that," she replied.

"It's okay, we're going to get you out," Cindy said.

Angel led them to the sliding door and pushed it open. The other girls were surprised to see Angel, but were astonished to see Mok and his employees.

"Oh my God!" "That's Mok!" "Why is he here?!" some the girls exclaimed, but Angel shooched them and turned on the light.

Mok entered in the wing and nausea hit his stomach when he saw the cramped space that was meant to be the girls' living quarters.

"Everyone, we're here to get you out, but we need your cooperation," Mok said to them and some nodded.

Cindy came in and held up the camera. "First, I want to photograph those who had been beaten by Ms. Legrand recently," she commanded and a few stood up.

One girl featured a fresh bruise on her left cheek. "She did this to me last night," the girl said and Cindy took a picture.

The others featured whip lashes on their backs, some of them still oozed blood. Cindy took many pictures of the abuse that had been inflicted upon the girls.

"I know this might scare you, but all of you will be examined at the hospital," Mok said to them, but some scurried into a corner. "I know all of you are afraid, but the police and the doctors will help you. And I promise you, Ms. Legrand and her minions will face a judge and I hope all of them will get the maximum sentence."

Then, some of the girls began to cry and fell to their knees. "Rosie was right," Helga said to Angel, "We are being rescued. If only she lived long enough to see it." Angel hugged her friend, who started to sob.

"Right now," Mok replied over the crying girls, "I need someone to show me the way to Ms. Legrand's pent-house. Angel told me that there is another way besides the spiral staircase that I saw."

No one came forward, but then, Kenna stood up and walked up to him. Mok was shocked to see the bruises on her face. "Who did this to you?" he asked.

"I deserved it," Kenna replied, "I have added more misery to these girls than what they've been through. Anyway, I can show you," she said.

Most of the girls, including Angel held back gasps of surprise. They had never Kenna this way before.

"There is one elevator that goes all the way up to the pent-house, but it's in the docking area. We have to be sneaky when we go out that way," Kenna explained and was prepared to led them, when Angel stood in her way.

"If this is a trick," she said in a threatening tone, "I will kill-" Kenna held up a hand.

"This isn't a trick, I'll show them. And I want to say I'm sorry and that Rosie didn't deserve to die," she said and adds, "To answer your questions. I did cry when I came here and the reason I am here is because my ex-husband sold me for drugs."

"Your ex?" Angel asked and Kenna nodded.

"I divorced him after he nearly beat me to death when he was high, but after that, he took away my freedom when he showed me to the drug dealers," she explained and placed her arms around Angel.

Everyone looked at her as Angel returned the hug. "I'm so sorry, I turned out to be like my ex after one year of living here," Kenna said. "Please, I want to get of here. Let me show them the way."

"One moment," Angel replied and walks up to Mok. "What if Rhonda will kick you out or even kill you? And then, this whole mission would be-" "Shhh," Mok placed a finger on her lips.

"I'm doing this for you and if I do get kicked out, I swear I will come back, with friends," he said and leans into her ear, " I should've told you this when we were in the grand piano room of my airship. I love you, Angel."

Angel's heart stopped when he spoke those words and without thinking, she embraced him. Mok returned the hug, but he had to let her go. "Give me 30 minutes and I'll be back, I promise," he said and turns to Toad and Zip. "You two, come with me, just for assurance. And Cindy, lend me the camera."

"What for?" Cindy asked and Mok featured a grin and he held up the tape recorder.

"Just to give Legrand a little scare," he replied.

"What about him?" Zip asked, pointing to Andro.

"Sleazy?" Mok replied to the other sibling, "You know what to do?" Sleazy chuckled, turning to face the muscular man, and cracked his knuckles.

Mok, Toad, and Zip followed Kenna out of the girls wing and through the dark hallways. "We're going have to go through the presidential suite and take the emergency exit stairs," she said and led them up the spiral staircase.

Once they got into the presidential suite, Toad went up to the front door. "It's clear," he said and Kenna led them to the end of the hallway and into the emergency stairway. They went all the way down and into the loading dock.

Kenna led them to a set of elevator doors and pressed a button. "It'll take you all the way up, but this is far as I dare go," she said and adds, "I hope you break her to pieces."

"Thank you, this means a lot," Mok replied and the elevator doors open and he and his two bodyguards entered in.


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Mok, Zip, and Toad rode the elevator all the way up to the pent-house floor.

When they got to there, the elevator doors opened to reveal Beta, who was staring right at them.

"Rho—!" Zip clamped her mouth shut with his hand.

"Who are you? Where's Legrand?" Mok asked, but the old woman refused to speak. Instead, she hit Zip on the head with her cane. "Ouch! That hurt!" he cried, but Toad shooched him.

"I will ask, again, where is Legrand?" Mok repeated the question.

Beta pointed to the office door at the end of the hall. The three went up to the door, Zip dragged the old woman all the way, and Mok looks at his employees. "Just keep your mouths shut, I will do the talking," he said and turned on the tape recorder and slipped it into his pocket.

The rock star opened the door slowly. He spotted Rhonda at her desk, smoking a cigarette and looking at the many jewels she laid out.

"Let me guess?" his voice filled the room and Rhonda shot her head up, "Those are not yours."

"Mok! How did you find this place?" she exclaimed, hiding the jewels in a drawer.

"I became curious of your secret hallways and your secret elevator," Mok replied as he and his employees entered in.

Beta scurried away from Zip and Rhonda looks at her as if she committed a crime.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Rhonda asked, showing a fake smile.

"I'm here to file a complaint," he said and sat down at the chair facing her.

"Tell me about the complaint and I can assure you, it will be taken care of," Rhonda replied, doing her best to sound legit.

"Are you aware that the girl you sent me to my room is covered in bruises and scars? In fact, all of the girls are covered in some sort of abuse you inflicted upon them," Mok told her and Rhonda's face turned white.

"Let me tell you this; you run this brothel, just to get more money. However, in order to keep those girls in line, you and your goons abuse them to the point where they have become so terrified that they lose their sanity and their sense of having hope," Mok explained, but Rhonda began to giggle.

"I don't know where you got this crazy idea that I run an illegal brothel, but I can assure you that everything you saw was not real," she replied, but then, Mok slammed his fist on the desk.

"Don't fuck with me!" he shouted, "I know abuse when I see it and I will tell the world that you are a monster!"

Rhonda gave a sneer, "There is only one thing that makes the world go round," she said and held a dollar bill, "Money, because that's what everyone thinks about. However, I admit, I beat the girls not to just keep them in order, but I get a jolt of energy and I feel like a queen ruling over her subjects."

"Why are you interested in getting so much money?" Mok asked another question.

"Like I said, everyone wants money, so that they can get whatever they want. Me, I want to retire in the most luxurious place in the whole world; the Caribbean," Rhonda said.

"But why turn to crime? You know that this sort of business will land you in a life sentence," Mok said, but Rhonda gave an annoyed look.

"Do you think I can get a million or perhaps a billion dollars just by running this place without a brothel? Well, when the Black Widow was first opened by my father 40 years ago, he barely made monthly quotas because hardly anybody walked in through those doors. After he died, I experimented a little by having the men book with girls that I adopted. Turns out that the experiment was a success," Rhonda replied, but Mok's mouth fell open when he heard this.

"You…you just let those men rape your children?" he asked, but she gave a sniff.

"They were not my kids. Heck, I didn't even want them," Rhonda replied.

"I hate to interrupt," Zip said, "But what do you mean 'they were not'? I may not be the smartest of my family, but that sounds like those girls, um, passed away or something."

Mok and Toad were curious by this theory and they looked at Rhonda, who gave an evil grin.

"Do you know what I did with them? Including those who stop getting clients?" she said and Mok braced himself.

"I disposed of them," Rhonda replied with an evil grin, "I let my top man, Andro take them and kill them, isn't that smart?"

Mok grew angry with those words, "So you threw them away like they're trash?" he asked and Rhonda chuckled. Mok was not sure if he could hold in his rage any longer, but he had to listen.

"That's one way to put it," Rhonda replied and then stands up, "And I think you over-welcomed your stay."

Mok, however, gave a grin, "I believe the police will be interested when they see what is in here," he said and held up the camera.

"Do you know what's in here?" he asked, but Rhonda shook her head.

"Evidence that will tell everyone that not only you run a prostitution ring, but that these girls suffered at your hands," he informed and Rhonda's jaw dropped, but then smiled.

"What if they don't believe you? Your rescue mission will be for nothing," she replied, but Mok still showed his grin and then showed his recorder.

"Know what this is?" he asked and Rhonda's face dropped, "Thanks to your confession, they will surely believe me."

"No, don't do it!" she begged, "I'll do anything!"

"Anything?" Mok asked and she nodded, "I want you to release Angel from this place."

"Angel?" Rhonda replied and realization filled her, "I will teach her how to keep her nose—" "If you *ever* come near Angel," Mok cut her off, his words were like acid, "I will kill you!" he shouted. "In fact, I would like to strangle you, but it would be fun to see you in front of a judge and see him give you the maximum sentence."

Rhonda's body shook from those words, "Okay, okay, you can take Angel, but if there is anything else, please take it."

Mok stood up from the chair and turned to leave.

"What are you going to do with those?" Rhonda asked, pointing to the camera and recorder.

"I'm going to hold onto these and I won't tell the police," Mok replied, but Zip and Toad looked at each other, "That is, if I change my mind."

As soon as the three left the office, Toad asks, "Sir, did I hear you correctly?"

Mok, however, grins, "I said 'if I change my mind'," he repeated and the two brothers knew what that meant.

The three entered back in the elevator and went back to the presidential suite on the 15th floor.

"Toad, take these to Commissioner Holton," Mok said, handing the tape-recorder and camera to him.

Toad took the elevator all the way down to the loading dock and headed out to the police station.

"Now, we wait, right boss?" Zip asked and Mok nodded.

"Yes Zip, we wait," he replied, as he gazed out on the horizon on the balcony.


	27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

An hour had passed and Toad did come back with the police and S.W.A.T.

Mok and Zip stared down from the balcony, watching the police enter through the front doors.

Down in the casino, the police rounded up the patrons and ordered them against the wall.

Commissioner Holton and some of the S.W.A.T. went up to the presidential suite. Zip opened the door for them and Holton went in.

"I can't believe you actually got a confession from Legrand," he said to Mok. "But where do we find the girls?" he asked.

Mok pointed to the tapestry and pulled it aside, showing the door. "The girl I was with said that there is one like this in every room here, including in Legrand's office," Mok explained.

Holton and the S.W.A.T. went in through the door and they descended down the spiral stairway and discovered the girls' wing. Mok pointed to the sliding door and opened it.

"The cavalry is here!" Cindy exclaimed to the others.

Sleazy, who had been guarding Andro, pulled him up and brought him to Holton. "He's one of Legrand's goons," Sleazy said and some S.W.A.T. officers took him away.

Holton got on his walkie-talkie, "Where are the paramedics?" he demanded.

"They just arrived, sir," someone answered.

Holton entered the cramped apartment, some of the girls gave terrified looks, while some scurried into a corner.

"It's okay, we're the good guys, and we're getting you out of here," Holton said.

One by one, the girls were led out of the dark and into the city street, where thousands of eyes were staring at them.

"Commissioner," Mok said, as he pulled Angel out of the line of girls. Holton looked at him and then at Angel. "I'm going with her," he said, holding Angel in his arms.

"Sure, I'll set up a police escort for the girls when they go to the hospital and have hospital security look after them," Holton replied and a female paramedic took Angel and Mok to a waiting ambulance.

Meanwhile, up in Legrand's office, the S.W.A.T. team surprised the fat woman when they barged in.

"Ms. Rhonda Legrand?" an officer asked and she nodded. "You're under arrest, you have the right to remain silent," he said and continued to explain her Miranda rights as she was handcuffed and led out of the pent-house.

Beta was discovered hiding behind the tapestry and she was also handcuffed and led out.

Holton had every officer check every room in the hotel, making sure that every call-girl was rescued. He also had some officers question the male patrons and arrest those who had bedded a call-girl.

"As of now!" Holton said in a loud voice to the media, "The Black Widow Casino Hotel is a crime scene and no one besides the C.S.I. and the Miami PD are allowed in!"

Angel was given a blanket, while the paramedics checked her vital signs and looked over the bruises and open wounds.

"Some of these are infected," one of them said, pointing to a few open wounds that oozed a yellow colored substance. "She will need stitches and a full elevation."

Just as the paramedics were about to shut the door of the ambulance, Angel spotted Rhonda and at that moment, she dashed out and ran towards her.

"Angel!" Mok called after her.

Angel pushed through the crowd of people and grabbed Rhonda by the scuff of her shirt. "Where's Rosie?!" she demanded, but the woman did not answer. "Where's Rosie?! Tell me, dammit!" Angel yelled, just as Mok pulled her away.

"It's all right," he said, holding her tight and she broke into tears.

"What's the matter with her?" Holton asked.

"I think she's in shock, she asked Legrand about someone named Rosie," Mok answered and Angel looks up at the commissioner.

"Rosie…was my…friend…" she chocked on the words, "Legrand and…Andro…killed her…all…because she…had a…fever…"

"I'll have my men check the grounds and if we find her body, you'll be the first to know," Holton replied.

Mok led Angel back to the ambulance and it went away from the place of misery.


	28. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The call girls, including Angel were brought in at the University of Miami Hospital and examined by the doctors. Some were so afraid of being touched that psychiatrists from the psychological floor were brought in to give them words of comfort.

Thankfully, all of them were allowed to remove the awful skimpy costumes that they wore and were given hospital garments.

Angel's back was examined and her open wounds were cleaned out and stitched up. She was taken to be X-rayed as the doctors believed that she might have broken bones somewhere. Luckily, there weren't any. She was given IV as she was dehydrated and placed in a room where it was guarded by hospital security. Mok was beside her the whole time and did not dare himself to leave Angel's side.

"Do you mind if I close my eyes for a while?" she asked.

"No, you should sleep. I'll be here right beside you," he assured her and she shut her eyes and was asleep in a few seconds.

Mok watched her throughout the night, making sure that she was comfortable and not suffering from night terrors.

'_I was such a fool,'_ he said in his mind, _'I should've opened my heart to her a long time ago.'_

However, something was troubling him; why did Angel come here? Surely she didn't here by her own free will. He had to ask her when she wakes up.

He looked at Angel's back and touched the stitches. They reminded him of the thorns from his rose garden back in Ohmtown. Then, the memory of his first meeting with Angel and their conversation in his garden flowed into his mind. He decided to go back a bit further, when Angel and her friends entered his mansion, and of her boyfriend.

"Omar?" he whispered and began to think.

Omar clearly acted like a jerk in front of Angel, but why? Mok decided to go further in his memories when he first saw Angel performing.

He remembered that Angel interrupted Omar's act with her gentle love ballad and it was in fact much better than Omar's hard rock on his guitar device. Omar's face, Mok could not forget that face, it was full of anger. No, not anger; more like irritation and rage.

Then, Mok's mind was filled with that of the face of his father. There was rage in those eyes and Mok hated those eyes.

'_Go away, I don't want to see your face, not ever, again,'_ his thoughts said, calmingly and Bull's eyes faded away into the blackness.

Mok looked back at Angel, who was sound asleep. He sat at a chair and laid his head besides her. "You are all I ever wanted," he said to her and fell asleep.


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Back at the Black Widow Casino Hotel, the police and C.S.I. had worked effortless in recovering tons of evidence.

Commissioner Holton had ordered them to search everywhere, hoping that they will recover a body or perhaps more.

"We all know that some of our best undercover officers were last heard in the casino here," he said to the teams, "If Legrand did kill them, I believe that she would've buried them somewhere."

"What if she used acid to disintegrate them?" one officer asked.

"Then we'll find their bones. That is, if we do find any," Holton replied and some of the officers started digging around the hotel grounds.

By sunrise, they didn't find any. That is, until one team dug a hole behind the pool's maintenance shed. "Commissioner!" one of the team members called out.

In the hole, a young girl wearing a large, bloodstained t-shirt was tied up in a fetal position.

"Check this entire area!" Holton ordered and a coroner and several other officers pulled the dead girl out of the hole.

In an hour, the whole pool area was dug up and more bodies were discovered. Some of them were becoming skeletons and the coroner and his assistants had to carefully pull them out of the holes.

Holton looked at the bodies on the gurneys and took a snapshot of each of the girls that were discovered. He turned his attention to the recovered bodies of his undercover officers. "I swear, that bitch will get the death sentence," Holton said to them.

He then went to use a phone and called the hospital.

In her hospital room, Angel was twitching from the nightmare she was having.

_Angel found herself in her apartment, but there was a hostile feeling in the air._

_Then, the front door opened and Omar stumbled in, he looked like a wreck._

"_Omar, where've you been?" she asked, but she saw the rage in his eyes._

"_I'll tell where I've been," he said and then grabbed Angel by the scalp. "I was out celebrating, no, more like…I don't know. I got some news," he said and threw Angel on the couch. "My boss fired me! And all for what? Huh? You want to know? Because I was high on drugs he said!"_

_Angel didn't speak, she could tell that Omar was agitated and ready to pounce. "He gave me my last pay-check and I spent it all at this club! I got high, again! High as a kite!" he shouted at her and then, he slapped her across the face._

"_This is your fault! If I had not followed you to that nightclub, I would not be in this predicament!" he shouted, again._

"_Omar, stop it, please!" Angel begged him, but he refused to obey. He then started to shout all sorts of insults and pounding his fists into her body._

"_Angel! Angel!" someone was shouting._

"Angel! Angel!" Mok cried out, shaking Angel's shoulders. She had been violently tossing and screaming and there seemed to be nothing that could wake her up.

"Angel, please! Wake up!" Mok cried out, again, and gently shook her.

Finally, she woke up and stared up at Mok, panting. "Was I dreaming?" she asked.

"More like having a nightmare," he replied and held her in his arms.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"No, no, there's nothing to be sorry about," Mok replied and rubbed her back, but she gave a yelp of pain. "I'm sorry! I forgot about the bruises," he said and laid her back down.

"Have you been watching me the entire night?" she asked and he shook his head.

"I slept most of the time, but I woke up when I heard you yelping," he answered and Angel turned to face the window. The sun had risen, but the sky was pale with purple and pink clouds.

"What time is it?" Angel asked.

"About 8 o'clock," Mok answered.

Then, Toad entered into the room. "I hate to intrude, but Commissioner Holton is on his way here. Said he had some photos to show you," he informed them.

A few minutes passed and Holton had arrived. "Mr. Swagger, Ms. Angel," he said and they nodded.

"It's Lyons, Angel Lyons," she replied.

"Okay, Ms. Lyons. I have some photos that I want to show you, see if you can identity them," Holton said and Angel's stomach dropped.

"I don't think now is the time," Mok replied, but Angel shook her head.

Holton handed her a folder and she opened it. In it were photos of dead girls, covered in dirt, on gurneys. Angel looked at the photos, but she did not recognize any of the girls till she got to the one of her dead friend, Rosie.

She pointed to the photo, "That's Rosie," she said.

"I know this is difficult, but do you know her last name?" Holton asked, but Angel shook her head.

"We never exchanged our surnames. I know, it's silly, but we just never did," Angel replied.

"I'll have my department check if she had any records. And do you mind if I ask you something?" Holton asked, again. "How did your friend die?"

Angel felt like she was going to choke as a hard knot formed in her throat, but she took a deep breath and says, "Three night ago, Rosie caught a fever. Another girl named Helga and I looked after her for most of the night, but Rosie's fever didn't go down. We summoned Ms. Legrand and told her that Rosie needed to see a doctor."

Angel stopped for a moment to breathe and continues, "She and Andro took her out of the apartment and I watched from the door. Legrand whispered something into Andro's ear and he then placed Rosie on the ground and...and he..." Angel struggled to get the words out, but she was able to say, "He twisted her neck and I heard a crack and Rosie fell down, dead."

Mok felt a burning sensation in his stomach, but he wasn't sure if it was nausea or just a reaction to Angel's story.

"Thank you Ms. Lyons and I want to tell you that Legrand and her goons will have murder added to their charges. If it's possible, the judge might not go through with a trial and just sentence Legrand to death," Holton said and adds, "The girls were not the only ones we found. We did find our missing undercover agents."

"They're dead, too?" Mok asked and Holton nodded. "How many bodies did you find?" Mok asked, again.

"So far, we recovered six call girls and all five of our agents. We discovered the bodies around the pool area and I swear, that place could pass for a graveyard," Holton replied and got up to leave, taking the folder of photos.

"I'll let you know on what the judge decides on, but it looks like she will just sentence Legrand and forget about a trial," he said and leaves the room.

Mok turned to face Angel, whose eyes were filling up with tears. He took her in his arms, "Just let it all out Angel," he said and Angel began to sob.

An idea came into Mok's head and he leans into Angel's ear and begins to hum the Appalachia fiddle. It seemed to calm her a bit and she laid back down and listened to Mok's humming.

Angel's eyes grew heavy and she finally shut them and was asleep.


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Some hours passed since Holton's visit and Angel had been asleep for awhile, but the nightmare came back.

Mok had been beside her and would shake her to wake her up. "Angel, I know this is tough, but I need to know," he said to her, "Why did you go to the Black Widow? I'm sure that you didn't go by your free will."

Angel could hold in the secret and told him of what she had gone through since her release.

"When I heard about you in the hospital, I had to go outside. I was upset over what you did, but then, Omar found me," Angel said, "He was the one that led me into this predicament. He…he sold me for drugs."

'_That son of a bitch!'_ Mok's mind yelled out, but he kept quiet and listened to Angel.

"Mok, I should've told you this a while ago, but I think now is the time," she said and starts from the beginning.

_Omar and I met outside of the police station where I worked; actually it was more like an accident. Two thugs followed me to my car and threatened to rape me, but then Omar got into a fight with them and they ran off._

_At first, I thought it was love at first sight and we started to go out. Three weeks later, I asked if it was okay to lay off the dating for a while, but I don't know what he was thinking. He thought he was poor and he punched me. I ran away from him and I should've let him stay out of my life, but he called at my apartment and said he was sorry and he would never hit me, again._

_I was such an idiot. I let him in my apartment and that's when all our troubles began._

_Omar ordered me to quit my job because he said he would financially provide for the both of us. _

_At night, we would go out on the town and perform in bars and nightclubs. We met Stretch and Dizzy at one place and we became fast friends._

_I should've known that Omar was taking drugs, but it already too late. Two months after I quit my job, Omar got fired for being high on drugs. That night, he came back and he looked belligerent. He blamed me for everything and he hit me and shouted insults._

_I begged him to stop, but he wouldn't. The neighbors must've heard my screams because the next thing I knew, the police burst through the door and hurled Omar to the ground._

_I should've just let the police charge him and lock him up, but I was such an idiot. When I visited him in jail, he apologized and said he blamed it on the drugs. I believed him, oh God, I believed him! _

Mok held up a hand, causing Angel to stop telling her story. "I get it now," he said and brushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

"When you invited me to your mansion, at first, I thought you would offer a contract for the four of us, but when you said you were interested in me, I had to refuse. There was no telling what Omar would do to Stretch and Dizzy, but…well, with all of this, I don't know what happened to them. I don't know if they know about all of this," Angel explained.

"I understand, as a matter of fact, I'm a victim of abuse," Mok replied and she looked up at him in surprise. "Not just drug abuse. I grew up with an alcoholic father and he enjoyed beating me and my mother," he explained and he unbuttoned his shirt to reveal his scar on his chest. "He attacked me one day when I was young, with a shard from a vodka bottle. After I got stiches for this, my mother and I were planning to leave him, for good I hoped, but it was too late for it."

Angel stared at the scar and traced it with her finger. "What happened after the attack?" she asked.

"My mother and I had to stay in that apartment because my father threatened to commit suicide and make look like she killed him," Mok answered and Angel gasped when she heard that.

"That's what Omar did to me, too," she informed and it was his turn to be surprised.

"So we do have a lot more in common with each other," he said and then, without another thought, he kissed her full on her lips.

Angel had never felt a kiss like this before, it was tender and comforting, and she refused to let it finish.

"Boss?" a voice called into the room and the two departed lips.

"What is it?" Mok asked Toad.

"There is a C.S.I. here, she said she has to take photos of Angel," he answered and a female crime scene investigator came into the room, holding a large camera.

Angel was led behind a curtain and the C.S.I. took photos of Angel's back.

"What are those for?" she asked.

"Just to update on your condition, to show the judge," the C.S.I. answered and left the room.

"I really want to get out of here," Angel said to Mok.

"I know, I do, too, but we have to wait to see on what the judge decides on," he replied and asks, "Out of curiosity, why did you work at Ohmtown's police station?"

"I wanted to become a police investigator ever since my parents were murdered," she answered and his ears perked up. "My tuition to the academy was almost fully paid when Omar ordered me to quit."

Mok began to think; he really wanted to make Angel happy and he would be more than happy to pay for the rest of Angel's tuition and let her go for police training.

"What would you say if I paid for the rest of it?" Mok asked and she looks at him.

"Mok, I don't know what to say, but you really don't have to," she said and he shook his head.

"But I want to. Angel, ever since Emmy died, I thought I would never find someone else, not to fill the void, but to share each other's hardships. Then, I realized that you are the one who would understand," Mok explained. "And please, accept this; please, stay at my mansion."

Angel was at loss for words. This was really happening and she might as well take the offer and she nodded.

They sat on a couch and looked at the landscape from the window and watched as the sun disappeared upon the horizon.


	31. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Within the depths of the Miami courthouse, Rhonda Legrand was brought in before a judge. Ethel Tedrecks was tough and hard to impress and she had quite a temper for a judge.

The court room was full of spectators. In the crowd, Cindy and Sleazy were watching the event unfold.

"Commissioner Luther Holton, do you have an update on any of the girls who were submitted to the University of Miami Hospital?" Tedrecks asked.

"I do, your honor," Holton replied and handed some papers to the court officer and he gave them to Tedrecks.

"And what are these?" she asked Holton.

"The evaluation reports from the psychiatrists at the hospital. Some of the girls were so terrified of being touched that the psychiatrists from the psychological floor were brought in," he explained.

The judge looked at the reports and she was quite astonished by each of them. She read that a few of the girls were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome and others were diagnosed with some sort of depression.

"I also have updated photos of the wounds and bruises on some of the girls," Holton added and handed over a folder to the officer.

Tedrecks took the folder and looked over the photos and she gave a look of horror and disgust.

"Did you recover any kind of weapon used to inflict the wounds on the girls?" Tedrecks asked and Holton nodded.

One of his officers showed the judge a leather belt. "We recovered some blood from the belt and we were able to match some of the DNA to the call girls," Holton replied.

Tedrecks looked at the belt and back at the photos of the girls. "I understand that you, Ms. Legrand like to use hand on abuse," the judge said to the large woman.

Rhonda didn't say a word; instead, she gave an irritated look.

"I also understand that you allow Mr. Andro Bowtenski to rape these girls whenever he pleased," Tedrecks added, but Rhonda still didn't speak.

"Commissioner Holton, you also recovered the bodies of eight call girls and five of your missing undercover agents around the grounds of the pool area, is that true?" Tedrecks asked.

"It is true your honor," Holton answered.

"What did the coroner say in how these girls and agents died from?" Tedrecks asked, again.

"I have his report, but do you want to hear it?" Holton asked, although the judge usually never allowed the participants to ask questions.

"No," Tedrecks said. Holton gave the coroner's report to the officer and he handed it to Tedrecks.

The judge looked at the coroner's report and gave a look of horror when she finished reading. Some of the bodies that were recovered showed that they died from asphyxiation, or death from a broken neck.

"I think I have seen and heard enough of it," Tedrecks said and looks at Legrand.

"Ms. Rhonda Legrand, I find you guilty of the crimes you are charged with," she said and gasps of surprise and gleefulness filled the room, but the judge was not finished.

"I hereby sentence you to death. I also sentence Mr. Andro Bowtenski to death and Mrs. Beta Jacobs to life in a maximum security retirement home," she added and bangs to gavel.

The whole room erupted in cheers as Legrand was taken out of the court room; her face was that of utter fear.

"We got to tell Angel! And Mok!" Cindy exclaimed and she and her brother leave the courthouse.


	32. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

The sun ascended from the horizon and the clouds were pink and purple, again.

Out on a stretch of beach, Angel and Mok had been walking around before the sun rose into the morning sky.

Mok had persuaded Angel to step out of her hospital room just for today. She was eager to take a day outside, but deep down she felt as if someone would take her away, again.

The day before, a psychiatrist diagnosed Angel with post-traumatic stress syndrome and there was a possibility that she might develop an anxiety disorder later in life.

The psychiatrist said that it was best to take slow, steady steps for Angel, so that she would be comfortable enough when she would go outside.

Mok had chosen to take her to this beach as it was empty in the morning hours and no would bother them.

Angel inhaled the salty sea air and she felt a heavy weight being lifted from her shoulders.

"It feels good, doesn't it?" Mok asked and he also inhaled the sea air.

"I never thought Miami would be beautiful, but no one knows of its rotten core," Angel replied and sat down on the sand.

She took a stick and drew in the damp sand, watching the waves crash on the shore.

"Angel, I know what you're going through," Mok said and sat beside her. "When I was in rehab, I went through the same anxiety and thought that no one would help me. However, someone did and he led me out of the dark tunnel and now, I want to do the same for you."

Angel looked at him and laid her cheek down on his shoulder. "Mok, I have something to say," she said and he listened. "I don't know if this is going to work for me. Living in a big mansion and having servants and riding in fancy cars."

Mok felt a sense of disappointment; he wanted to make Angel comfortable, but he just can't force her.

"I understand," he said. "If you wish to leave, you can, but I would not like it."

"No, I mean it will be tough for me to get use to it," Angel replied.

Before Mok could say anything else, a familiar sound filled his ears. Up on the boardwalk, someone was playing a violin and it was the old Appalachia fiddle that Mok admired so much.

"C'mon, you should hear this," he said and the two got up and walked up to the boardwalk.

They found the fiddler; he was a dog humanoid and he wore dirty pants, t-shirt, and a cap.

"What is he playing?" Angel whispered her question.

"I don't know what the tune is called, maybe he knows," Mok answered, but Angel shook her head.

"No, I mean the instrument he's playing," she said, again.

"It's a violin, one of the rarest instruments that survived the Nuclear Wipeout, but I suspect that the knowledge of creating it was lost through the ages," Mok answered and they listened to the fiddler play the tune.

Angel then realized that it was the same tune that Mok hummed to her the other night and he seemed to notice.

When the fiddler was finished, Mok and Angel clapped and the dog man bowed his head.

"I never had an early morning audience before," he said, "Name's Harold."

"I'm Angel and this is—" Harold held up a hand to stop her and he looks at Mok.

"I want to prevent a crowd when they hear his name," he replied.

"Do you mind if I ask you where did you learn to play like that?" Mok asked.

"Grew up in the mountains of West Virginia, also known as hill-billy country. Everyone is like a close knit family. My uncle taught me to play this when I started school and the tune I just played, he called it 'Short Trip Home'*. And if you are curious as to why I am here? Well, I'm like the wind, it takes me wherever it goes," Harold explained.

"You mean you just go whenever you feel like it?" Angel asked, but Harold shook his head.

"I go with the wind; whenever it goes, I follow and whenever it stops, I stay until it tells me to leave," he said.

"That's incredible," Mok said and asks, "Have you ever been to Ohmtown?"

"One time, never felt at home, no offense," Harold replied.

"None taken," Mok said, "If the wind wants you to go back there, would you do it?"

"I never refuse the wind's call," Harold answered and Mok handed him a slip of paper.

"If you do come to town, I would be honored if you stayed at my place. How would you feel if you performed in a concert wit me?" he asked and also handed him a few dollar bills.

"I would be thrilled, but I won't do it for the money," Harold said.

"I understand, I just want the people, especially my fans to hear your violin," Mok replied and Harold nodded.

"I hope that the wind will take its course to Ohmtown in time for your concert," Harold said.

"Would you mind playing that song, again?" Angel asked and Harold shook his head.

He started on a low note and played the fiddle. Angel listened to the notes, they rose and fell, and she felt her spirit being lifted off from all her worries.

When Harold finished, Angel and Mok left and returned to the beach. The sun shined on the water, making it glitter like gems.

The two went back to the hospital, but were ambushed by a swarm of media personnel. Paparazzi were snapping photos, while news reporters were yelling out questions.

"Back off you buzzards!" a voice shouted over the crowd and Toad pushed them aside, allowing Mok and Angel to reach the sanctuary of the hospital lobby.

"Oh good, you're here!" Cindy exclaimed. The two, with Toad behind them, found Cindy, Zip, and Sleazy with Commissioner Holton.

"What's so good about it? What's going on?" Angel asked.

"Didn't you hear?" Zip asked, but Sleazy slapped him on his head.

"What is it? What's the news?" Mok ordered them to speak.

"Legrand has been sentenced to death," Holton answered and a burning sensation filled Angel's stomach.

She felt like she was going to vomit, but Mok grabbed her by the shoulders and held her upright.

"Does that mean we can go?" Angel asked and Holton nods.

"I'll get the plane ready," Sleazy said and he, Cindy, and Zip left the hospital.

Mok sat Angel down at a chair, her face had become pale and she appeared dizzy.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I don't know if I should be happy or whatever, I just feel…strange. One minute, I felt like I was a new person, but then the next, I came back to reality," Angel answered.

"I understand," Mok replied and holds her in his arms.

Toad went off to get the car and Holton and Mok spoke to each other.

"I want to thank you for rescuing those girls. If it weren't for you, I don't know who would save them," Holton said, "And if there is anything I can do, you let me know."

"And I want to thank you for taking part of the rescue," Mok replied.

"Wait a minute," Angel interrupted. "Did you recover a box of paper cranes?" she asked.

"I did and I brought it with me because I thought they were yours," Holton replied and pointed to a wooden box on a chair and hands it to her.

"Most of them are, the rest are Rosie's," Angel said, staring at the beautifully arranged paper cranes.

Toad returned with the limo, but the media personnel did not go away. "I'll safely escort you to the airport if you wish," Holton said, but Mok shook his head.

"I hope you don't mind quieting the crowd," Mok replied and Holton shakes his head.

Mok then turned to Angel, "Is it all right if I tell the media about all this?" he asked and she nods.

"I also have a few things to say," she said and they went out into the noise of snapping photos and yelled out questions.

"One question at a time!" Holton ordered the crowd and they hushed.

"Mr. Swagger, is it true that you were behind the rescue mission of those call girls?" someone asked.

"Yes, but my employees were also part of it," Mok answered and waited for another question.

"Why did you do it?" someone else asked.

Mok encircled an arm around Angel. "This woman here was sold to the Black Widow by someone she knew and..." he stopped to take a breath and adds, "And she means a lot to me."

"What's your name, Miss?" someone asked and Angel took a deep breath.

"Angel Lyons," she answered and some of the paparazzi took photos of her.

"How did you two meet?" another person asked.

Angel looks at Mok and replies, "I believe it was fate. We have a lot in common and ever since the rescue, he refused to leave my side. And I love him."

Mok looks at her and a smile formed on his face.

The two decided to leave and not answer any more questions. They got into the limo and Toad drove away from the crowd.

"Mok," Angel said and he looks at her. "I decided to stay with you at your mansion," she adds.

They shared a kiss just as they arrived at the tarmac where Mok's private jet was waiting. Angel was surprised to see it, but she followed Mok up the staircase and into the jet.

Inside, there were comfortable chairs and a carpet floor. On one table, there were some bottles, but Angel wasn't sure if they held liquor or something.

"Tell Sleazy that we're ready to go," Mok said to Zip. "Take a seat," he said to Angel and she sat in a comfortable beige colored chair.

The engines roared to life and the jet flew off the tarmac and away from Miami. Angel refused to look through the window to see the landscape of the buildings.

"I never want to set foot there, again," she said to Mok. He let her lay her head on his shoulder and she flew asleep as the jet headed back toward Ohmtown.

()()()()

*The Short Trip was written by Edgar Meyer and performed by violinist Joshua Bell.


	33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

News of the prostitution ring bust at the Black Widow Casino Hotel in Miami, Florida spread like wildfire across the entire country and into the neighboring countries to the north and south.

In Ohmtown, the newsstands were completely sold out of newspapers and where there was a TV, it was on a news channel that featured the top story. People crowded in bars and nightclubs just to watch the news.

"Ohmtown's local rock star, Mok Swagger and his employees took part in the bust. Sources say he was able to obtain photographs of the call girls and a confession from the owner of the Black Widow, Rhonda Legrand," a news woman informed the audience.

"And Judge Ethel Tedrecks had just sentenced Legrand to death early this morning," her partner said.

The people cheered when they heard this, but went quiet when the news featured a recording of Mok and Angel leaving the University of Miami Hospital.

The media personnel asked questions for the two and Mok was the first to speak. "This woman here was sold by someone she knew to the Black Widow and she means a lot to me."

The woman named Angel Lyons came into view and says, "I believe it was fate. We have a lot in common and ever since the rescue, he refused to leave my side. And I love him."

A lot of people were touched by this notion and made some of them cry.

Elsewhere, Omar was trying to get into an unoccupied car. He needed some cash to buy more cocaine and he was losing the buzz.

It had been a few days since he sniffed the last bag of cocaine and he started to hallucinate.

He gave up on trying to open the car door and he could feel the cold steel gun getting heavier by the minute. He laid his back against the wall and then vomited.

Once Omar's stomach was empty of his contents, he dry heaved, but he stopped when he heard someone coming toward him.

"Omar?" Dizzy's voice was heard, but when Omar looked up, he saw a distorted figure and it looked demonic.

"Did you hear the news? Mok discovered a prostitution ring in Miami!" Stretch exclaimed and showed Omar a newspaper.

"Look! Angel was one of the girls recovered from the bust!" Dizzy said to Omar, pointing to a picture on the front page.

Omar, however, thought he was being threatened by demons and he reached into his back pocket.

"What did you do?!" Dizzy exclaimed when he noticed the dizziness and bloodshot eyes.

Dizzy grabbed Omar by the scuff of his shirt and pulled him to his feet.

"You sold Angel! Is that what you did?! Tell me, dammit!" Dizzy yelled at Omar.

In Omar's eyes, the demon was threatening him and then, he pulled the gun out and pulled the trigger.

A loud bang was heard and Dizzy looked down at his chest. Crimson blood blossomed on his shirt and he looks at Omar, who was holding up the gun.

"Why?" Dizzy spoke his last word and he fell to the ground, dead.

"Dizzy!" Stretch cried out and turns around to run, but Omar shot two rounds into Stretch's back. He fell to the ground and died.

A loud ringing noise filled Omar's head and he pressed his hands against his ears. He killed the two demons and he dared himself to look through their pockets.

He found some cash and it was enough to buy a whole month's worth of cocaine. Omar dashed off, leaving the two corpses that were his friends behind.


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Mok's private jet landed at Illinois' International Airport late that evening. Angel had been asleep the entire time and she was quite surprised when she awoke to the jet's landing.

"I trust that you didn't have any nightmares?" Mok asked.

"No, actually, that violin song kept playing in my head and I guess it did the trick in keeping the nightmares away," she answered as he fiddled with a strain of her hair.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said and the two got out of the jet and down to a waiting limo.

"Welcome back Mok," M.A.I. spoke, but Angel looked around in the car.

"Who said that?" she asked.

"Don't worry, it's M.A.I., my computer," Mok said and M.A.I. featured herself.

"I am M.A.I., or Mega-Artificial Intelligence. I am programed to do any sort of electronic research," the computer said and Angel was quite astonished.

"You mean anything?" she asked.

"Yes," M.A.I. replied.

Angel began to think of a question and shakes her head. "I really can't think of anything to ask," she said to Mok.

"Allow me," he replied, "M.A.I.; what is the status on the sales of my albums?" he asked the computer.

"Sales have reached 40% higher than before. There is a strong demand for more of your albums across the nation," M.A.I. informed.

"40%? That's incredible," Angel said and a question did pop into her head. "Mok, did you say you were planning a farewell concert?"

"I did and I should ask M.A.I. about the ticket sales for it," he replied.

"Ticket sales have commenced and they have sold out," M.A.I. had informed, again.

"Do you mind if I ask what day the concert is?" Angel asked.

"Mok will be performing in one week from tomorrow," M.A.I. answered.

"Thank you M.A.I. and did you destroy those experiment entries I asked you to do?" Mok asked.

"The Armageddon Experiment records have been deleted as requested," M.A.I. informed and Mok shut her off.

"You deleted the experiment?" Angel asked.

"Yes, I want it out of my life, not even the mention of it," he replied.

"Whoa!" Toad exclaimed and slammed the brakes.

"What's the matter with you?" Mok demanded.

"Sorry boss, but you should look at this," Toad said and pointed to the right.

Angel and Mok looked out the window, seeing that the street was full of police cars and ambulance.

A few people had gathered around some police tape that was blocking the entry way to an alley way.

Angel saw a few police officers tending to a body and they turned it over, revealing Stretch's face.

"Toad, stop the car!" Angel cried out and she bolted out of the limo.

She ran towards her friend, but she was blocked by an officer. "That's my friend!" Angel screamed and she pushed the officer aside and leaned beside her friend.

Angel looked all over Stretch; two crimson blots had bloomed on his shirt and she knew that they were bullet wounds.

She looked further down the alley, spotting a white tarp draped over another body and she dared herself to look.

Underneath the tarp was Dizzy, his eyes were glazed white and she saw a bullet wound on his chest.

"Ma'am, you can't be here," an officer said, pulling her away from Dizzy's body.

"What happened to them?!" she demanded, her heart pounding in her head.

"This is a double homicide. You said you knew them?" the officer asked.

Angel fell to her knees and a scream escaped from her mouth. She felt someone encircle their hands around her, it was Mok and she buried her face into his chest.

"Hey!" someone shouted, "This one's alive!"

Angel looked up and saw paramedics circling around Stretch. She rushed to his side, his eyes had opened and he stared up at her.

"Angel…?" he said in a weak voice.

"Shhh, don't speak, you're going to be okay," Angel replied, taking his hand into hers.

Stretch used a finger to motion for her to come closer and she leaned in.

"Omar…shot us…" he said and Angel felt a brief disconnection from her senses.

"Ma'am, move aside, we have to work," a paramedic ordered and she obeyed.

"Please, save him," she begged and moved away from Stretch.

Angel walked away from the crime scene and laid her back against the wall. She then sank down on the ground and began to sob.

Mok came to her side and took her into arms. He hummed the 'Short Trip Home' to her and rubbed her back.

They watched as Stretch was placed on a gurney and taken to an ambulance. Angel shot up to her feet and rushed towards it.

"Wait!" she called and the paramedics looked at her. "Where are you taking him?" she asked.

"Ohmtown United," one of the paramedics answered and Angel stepped away, allowing them to shut the doors and the ambulance sped off.

"C'mon Angel, I'll have Toad take us there," Mok said to her and took her to the limo.

The limo followed the ambulance at a safe distance. Angel began to pray that Stretch would be saved and live out the remainder of his life.

When they got there, Angel got out of the limo and rushed towards the ambulance. However, she had the feeling that something was not right and one of the paramedics said something to a doctor.

The gurney was pulled out and Angel saw that a blanket had been placed over Stretch's face and she knew what that meant.

"What happened?" she asked the paramedics.

"He died en route, we did everything we could, we're sorry," one of them said.

Angel took a few steps backward and felt the comforting touch of Mok's hands.

"Take me away from here," she said and he took her back to the limo and it left the hospital.


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The limo had arrived at Mok's mansion around dusk. Angel had not spoken a word during the ride and Mok thought he heard her heart cry inside.

"Where have you been?" Cindy asked, but Angel walked passed her without a word.

"Toad, I'll let you tell them," Mok said to his chauffeur and he followed Angel inside.

Angel went into Mok's garden and looked at the many roses and lotus flowers. Mok watched her, but did not intervene. She was in a state of mourning, perhaps in denial.

"Mok?" Angel called and he came to her. "Why has this all happened? Why did it have to happen?" she asked, but Mok did not have an answer for that.

He pressed a few buttons on a wall and two items appeared in his hands. One was a mug of green tea and the other was a box of dark chocolate.

"Take this," he said, handing her the mug, "It'll calm you."

Angel took a sip of the green tea and took a piece of dark chocolate and ate it.

"Angel, I am so sorry," Mok said, but she shook her head.

"It must've been fate," she replied and drank more of the tea.

"I may not have known them, but your friends didn't deserve to die," he said and she nodded.

"As you said, death is a natural part of life," Angel replied, again and finished the green tea. "That was good, what was it?"

"Green tea, my friend from rehab said it cleans you out," Mok answered and touched the mug.

At that moment, more tea had filled the mug and Angel drank it and ate another piece of chocolate.

"I should've just let Omar rot in jail and forget about him. Then, maybe my life would've been better, but I was such an idiot," she said. "I should've fought back, against his cruelty toward me, but I never thought he go this far."

"Wait a minute, what are you saying?" Mok asked and Angel looks at him.

"Before Stretch died, he said that Omar shot him and Dizzy, and I think I know why," she answered.

Mok placed a hand over his mouth. Now, they were dealing with a psychopath and Omar was perhaps planning to kill Angel.

"C'mon," he said and he touched the mug and it vanished. "It's dinnertime and I think I know what will cheer you up," he added and took her hand.

Mok led her out of the garden and into some part of the mansion Angel had not been in, the kitchen.

There were two stovetop ovens and copper pots were hung on a rack from the ceiling. An island table was in the middle of the room that had three stools.

Then, Zip entered in, wearing an apron and a chef's hat. "Welcome, Miss Angel," he said.

"Zip, we'll have the pasta, with cream sauce," Mok told him and Zip got to work.

"Zip, you can cook?" Angel asked.

"You have to try everything he makes, it's, how do you say it? Out of this world?" Mok replied and Angel chuckled.

"While I am taking care of that, how about some red wine?" Zip asked and showed them a bottle.

"Pin…pino…noir?" Angel struggled to pronounce the name.

"Pinot Noir," Mok corrected and brought two wine glasses.

"Sorry, I barely remember my high school French," she said and watched as Mok uncorked the bottle and poured the wine into her glass and then his own.

"Angel," Zip said to her, "I just want to say, um, I'm sorry about your friends."

"Thank you," she replied and took a gulp of the red wine.

"No Angel," Mok said and she looked at him as he swirled the wine in his glass and then took a sip.

"Sorry, I just feel like drinking a whole lot," she replied and she began to swirl her wine.

Zip finished cooking and gave two plates of pasta to them.

Angel took a bite and her face lit up. "This is really good," she said and ate another fork-full.

"You two can leave, uh, everything when you're finished. I'll get it when you're done," Zip said and left the kitchen.

"He's really nice, unlike his brothers," Angel said to Mok.

"Yes, he's like a child, but I guess that's his gift. I usually get annoyed by it, but now, I tolerate it," he replied.

They finished the food and the wine and they wobbled out of the kitchen.

"I'm not drunk," Angel said, but lost her footing on the stairs. "Oh, yes I am," she admitted.

"Take it easy," Mok replied, but he was really dizzy.

"How much did we drink?" she asked.

"A whole damn bottle," he answered.

"We're gonna have hangovers in the morning," Angel added and stopped in the middle of the stairs.

Mok looks at her and touches her cheek and then kisses her.

Angel deepened the kiss and their tongues danced in their mouths. Mok departed for a brief moment and asks, "Do you want to do this? I just want to make sure."

"Yes Mok," she answers, honestly, and they kissed, again.

Mok then leads her to his bedroom and takes her into his arms and places her on the bed.

He sheds his jacket and shirt and kisses Angel, again. He takes off her shirt and kisses her neck and unbuckles her bra.

He gently strokes her breast, a breath escapes from Angel's mouth and she undo's Mok's pants and he doing hers.

He gets into her legs and at first, slowly thrusts into her. "Do it…faster…" Angel demands in a breathless voice.

Mok goes faster and harder into her. The bed rocks and squeaks. Angel's heart pounds hard, the climax was coming. "No…not yet…" she says, but there was nothing to stop it.

"Angel…" Mok breathes out her name and thrusts harder.

"Mok…" she moans. _'If this is a dream, please don't wake me up,'_ her thoughts said to her, she felt lost in a sea of pleasure.

Their moans grow louder with every thrust. Angel digs her fingernails into Mok's back, drawing blood, but he did not mind.

"Oh God!" Angel breathed out as the climax came.

Mok slowly removes himself from her and lies down beside her. Angel lays her head on his chest. "I love you, Mok," she says to him.

"And I love you, Angel," he replies and they fell asleep.


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

A lightning storm had rolled in in the middle of the night. Lightning flashed across the sky and thunder soon followed.

In the down town area of Ohmtown, Omar had bought himself a month's worth of cocaine. He avoided other people, as according to him, they became distorted and deformed, as if they became demons.

Ever since he shot the two demons, he feared that other demons would hunt him down.

However, one of them said something about Angel and some sort of prostitution ring bust. "Angel," he groaned, "I'm going to hunt you down, hunt you down like a dog."

Omar struggled to keep his footing, but kept running into trash bins, knocking them over. "Where are you? Where are you hiding? You're with that old bastard! You left me for him!" he said, aloud, but the only thing that responded back was the lightning and thunder.

_At Mok's mansion, Angel awoke to the storm outside. Mok was sound asleep beside her. She got up and dressed herself in her t-shirt and walked up to the window. The lightning cracked across the sky and the thunder echoed. _

_Angel admired lightning storms, but this one was perhaps the most violent than any other storm she remembered. _

_She was about to close the drapes when something caught her attention outside. A dark shadow was standing beside some trees and she looked at it, she was certain that it was looking back at her._

_A flash of lightning illuminated across the sky and Angel's heart stopped when she saw the face of her ex-boyfriend, Omar._

_Angel stepped away from the window, her heart was pounding, but then, she hit something behind her._

_She turned around and stared at Omar, he was holding a gun and he took aim at her head and fired._

Angel awoke with a gasp and began to pant. It was a dream, she realized, but it seemed too real.

"Angel?" Mok asked as he awoke.

"I'm fine, just a bad dream," she assured him. He looked into her eyes, there was fear in them.

"It must've been a night terror," he said and started to gently rub her back.

Angel's eyes were heavy and she decided to shut them and was asleep, again.

'_It must've been Omar, no doubt in my mind,'_ Mok's thoughts said to him.

Thunder boomed outside and Mok listened and he then went back to sleep.


	37. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The storm rolled out of Ohmtown by morning and the sun showed off a glorious dawn with golden rays and pale pink clouds.

Angel and Mok awoke and witnessed the sun rising. Mok placed a robe over Angel and he got one himself.

"Mok," Angel said and he looks at her. "Last night, it was amazing," she adds. "Omar never did anything like that, just bangs into me."

He kissed on the neck and leads her out of the bed room. They took a shower together. Mok gently rubbed body wash on Angel's back and avoided getting too much on her stitches.

When they finished, they got dressed and went downstairs. "Sir," Sleazy said, "Mr. Nicholai Lenzo will be here in a few minutes."

"Mr. Lenzo?" Angel asked.

"He's a good friend from rehab, you'll love his daughter, she's like sunshine on a cloudy day," Mok said to her.

They waited patiently outside and then, a car drove up the driveway. When it stopped, a little mouse girl blotted out of the back like a rocket.

"Mr. Swagger!" Minnie exclaimed and he opened his arms for her.

"It's so good to see you, Minnie. Were you a good little girl while I was gone?" Mok asked, hoisting her into his arms.

"Yup, I was really good, and I missed you," Minnie answered and then noticed Angel. "Is that your lady friend?" she asked.

"Yes, that's Angel," he said and Minnie walks up to her.

"What's your name?" Angel asked.

"Minnie Lenzo," she answered and adds, "I like you, you're pretty."

"Awe, thank you," Angel said, rubbing the top of the girl's head, "And you look like a fairy-tale princess."

"Thank you," Minnie replied.

Then, a man with a bandaged face appeared and at first, Angel took a step back. "It's all right," Mok said, "This is Nicholai."

"What happened to you?" Angel asked out of curiosity.

Nicholai explained what had happened to him and his wife. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry," Angel said after she heard the story.

"And I'm sorry for what happened to you, it must've been a nightmare for you and those other girls," Nicholai replied.

"Yeah, we saw you on TV!" Minnie exclaimed. Mok looks at Nicholai with a bewildered look.

"Don't worry, I said she understands everything, and she took it really well," he replied, but Mok shook his head.

The four sat at on steel chairs and a steel table underneath a canopy out on the patio.

"This place is big!" Minnie said, "No wonder you get so lonely, Mr. Swagger."

"I'm not lonely anymore," Mok replied, "I now have Angel."

Angel gave a smile, just as Zip brought a tray of champagne glasses. "Miss Minnie will not be having a mimosa," Mok said to Zip.

"What would you like Miss Minnie?" Zip asked, but Minnie didn't answer, she just stared at the gentle giant.

"Sorry, she hates strangers," Nicholai said to Zip.

"Gosh, I hate strangers, too," he replied.

"You hate me and my daddy?" Minnie asked and the others couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh shucks, no, any friend of my boss is a friend of mine," Zip replied and gave a bow.

"Do you have cherry juice?" Minnie asked and his face lights up.

"Sure do," he answered and pours her some into her glass.

The adults drank their mimosas and spoke about the recent events, including the murder of Angel's friends.

"Oh, now that is horrible. How are you feeling now?" Nicholai asked Angel.

"I'm trying to move on, but it is so hard," she answered.

"After my wife died, it was very hard for Minnie and me, so I know the feeling," Nicholai replied.

"I asked Nicholai to come here to see if he could counsel you, like he did to me," Mok said to Angel.

"I wouldn't call myself a counselor, just someone who listens," Nicholai replied.

"I also asked them to be my honored guests at my farewell concert," Mok added.

"I can't wait!" Minnie squealed.

"Calm down, Minnie," Nicholai ordered his daughter.

"You'll also be my honored guest, Angel," Mok said to his lover, who nodded. "I also invited a violin player from Miami to perform in my concert," he adds.

"What's a violin?" Minnie asked.

"You'll soon find out," Mok replied, just as Zip brought them their breakfast.


	38. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Minnie was the first to finishing eating her breakfast of flapjacks that were sprinkled with powdered sugar and she wanted to walk around the grounds.

"Please be patient, we have to eat ours, too," Nicholai said to his daughter.

"I don't mind walking with her," Angel replied and drank the last of her mimosa.

The two girls walked around the mansion, a lot of trees had shaded them from the sun, and they liked it.

Angel looked back at the two men; they were engrossed in some sort of conversation and at one point, Nicholai gave a look at Mok. Angel couldn't tell due to the bandages on Nicholai's face and decided to forget about it.

"Miss Angel," Minnie said and she turned to face the girl. "How did you and Mr. Swagger meet?"

"He invited me here one day, but we didn't actually fall in love until much later," Angel replied.

"But he loves you now, a whole lot, I can tell," Minnie said with a smile.

"Yes, yes he does," Angel replied and she also smiles.

"Are you a singer?" Minnie asked.

"I do sing, but not much, I really don't have the passion for it. I always wanted to a police investigator," Angel answered and the little girl's face showed curiosity.

"Oh, you mean like hunting down bad guys?" she asked and Angel nods.

Mok was right; Minnie was like sunshine piercing through the dark clouds of depression that lingered over Angel.

Just then, Angel's head shot up when she heard a twig snap. She got to her feet and looked around the trees.

"Miss Angel, are you okay?" Minnie asked, but Angel shooched her.

She searched around for the source, but there wasn't anything within sight. Angel, however, sensed that something or someone was watching them.

"Angel?" someone said from behind her. She gave a scream and raised her hand to claw at whoever it was, but someone grabbed her hand.

"Angel, it's okay! It's me!" Mok exclaimed and Angel relaxed, but she panted hard.

"I'm sorry," she replied, "I heard something and I thought it was…" she said as Mok gently rubbed her shoulders.

"No one is going to take you away, not while I'm here," he assured her and leads her back to the patio.

"Excuse me, sir," Zip said to his boss, "There is a, um, a Mr. Harold here. Do you want me to bring him here?"

"Yes, of course," Mok answered and Zip heads off.

"He came all the way here from Miami?" Angel asked, but Mok shook his head.

Zip came back with Harold, who was carrying his violin case and a sack of some sort.

"Harold, welcome," Mok says to him and they shook hands.

"I don't mean to brag, but how did you get here so fast?" Angel asked and Harold chuckles.

"I hitch on whatever transport that will take me where the wind goes," he answered, "And it seems that the wind brought me here in time for your concert."

"If there is no place for you to settle, my mansion is opened for you," Mok said to him and asks, "If those are clothes in that sack, my employees can have them washed, if you like."

Harold looks at his sack and the clothes he wore. "I usually don't ask for favors, but if they don't mind. I prefer they wash my clothes in ice cold water and hang them," he said and gives the sack to Zip.

"That means they can't be machine dry," Mok informed Zip.

"Oh, you mean hang them from a wire," the child-like giant said and goes off with the sack.

"What's in there?" Minnie asked, pointing to the case.

"That would be my violin; do you want me to play a song?" Harold asked and she nods in delight.

He took out the instrument, tunes it, and says, "I call this one the 'Appalachia Waltz'*."

Harold began to perform the most luscious sound everyone had heard. He mostly played with the high-pitched notes and he seemed to be lost in the flow of music.

When he was done, Minnie clapped her hands wildly and everyone, including Toad, Sleazy, Zip, and Cindy followed.

"I have a feeling Mr. Swagger, that your final concert will be a huge hit," Harold said and Mok nods.

"Not to mention that he will show his fans a lost art," Cindy added.

Harold put away his violin and Zip fixed him a plate of food. A few minutes later, the adults and Minnie watched as Zip and Sleazy struggled to put up a wire from a post to a tree.

Mok groaned, while the others laughed at this. When the two succeeded in getting the wire up, they took Harold's washed clothes and hung them.

Zip, however, flapped the shirts and they made a whip-like sound. Angel heard this and the memories of being whipped by Legrand were coming back to her. She also thought of what Stretch said before he died. _"Omar...shot us..."_ In her mind, she heard the booming of a gun being fired.

She gasped for breath, she felt the stitched wounds burning on her back, her body began to shake, and she flattened herself against the wall.

Mok noticed this and came to her side. "Angel, it's okay, there's nothing here that will hurt you," he said to her, placing both hands on her cheeks, but her skin turned white as a ghost.

"Zip, stop that!" Cindy shouted at her brother and he did.

"Daddy, what's happening to Miss Angel?" Minnie asked her father, seeing that her new friend was having a panic attack.

Nicholai turns to Cindy and says, "Make my daughter comfortable, make sure she doesn't see." Cindy obeys and has the little girl turn her head away from the scary scene.

"Should I call a doctor?" Toad asked his employer.

"Here, I know what will help," Nicholai said and stands in front of Angel. "Angel, do exactly as I do," he says to her and breaths in through his nose and exhales out his mouth.

Angel did exactly that and they continued to do the breathing technique for a few seconds and she began to relax.

The color came back to Angel's cheeks and the tension lifted from her muscles.

"Did I just…have a…panic attack?" she asked, but she seemed to know the answer. "Oh God, I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, the good thing is that it has passed," Nicholai said to her.

They sat back down and continued to chat, but they did not dare bring up the horrible scene that just occurred.

A gentle breeze flowed by, causing Harold's clothes to sway like flags.

()()()()()

*The Appalachia Waltz was written and performed on the violin by Mark O'Connor.


	39. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

At Mok's mansion, the group retreated inside to escape the sun's rays. Minnie explored Mok's garden, with her father tailing her.

Harold asked Mok to use the shower and he was shown the guest bathroom. "I thought it be appropriate to be clean for this evening," he said.

Angel, however, stayed away from them, but Mok stayed near-by and waited for her to say something.

"Mok," she finally said, "When I had that panic attack, the memories of being abused by Legrand came back. I also remembered what Stretch said before he died and I imagined him and Dizzy getting shot by Omar."

"Just remember this," he replied, "It was not your fault. As you said, you didn't know that Omar would go to extreme lengths."

Angel nodded, but didn't speak. "Angel," Mok said, "I think it is a good idea for you to leave Ohmtown. You can live at my place in New York for as long as you need."

"What? No, I am not letting that bastard come near you," she replied and Mok looks at her.

"I am more afraid of him killing you than me and if he does, I'll never forgive myself," he said.

"I want to fight back, show Omar who I really am," Angel replied and Mok took a deep breath.

"Are you willing to risk your life?" he asked and she nods. "If he does succeed in killing you, I'll tear him to pieces, with my own teeth."

"Would you also visit my grave every so often?" Angel asked, but Mok shook his head.

"I'll have your body placed in a glass sarcophagus and place it in my garden and kiss you every day and ask myself 'Why didn't I save you?'" he replied and she kissed him.

Just then, Toad intrudes, "I'm sorry to interrupt, sir, but there is a police officer here to ask Angel some questions."

Angel leaves and goes to the common room area, seeing the police officer wearing blue.

"Are you Miss Angel Lyons?" he asked and she nods. "I came here to ask you some questions and offer you my condolences," he adds.

"First, where were you between the hours of 12 and 5 yesterday?" the officer asked.

Angel explains that she was in Miami with Mok and his employees. They left the hospital sometime in the afternoon and they got to the Miami airport 20 minutes later. "We got back to Ohmtown sometime in the evening, I was asleep during the plane ride," Angel said.

The officer wrote the information down and asks, "How did you meet the victims, Douglas Fitzsimons and Samuel McCullum?"

"They went by Dizzy and Stretch," Angel replied, "My ex-boyfriend and I met them at a nightclub two years ago and we became friends."

"What is your ex-boyfriend's name?" the officer asked. Angel's heart pound; she didn't know why, but she had the feeling that Omar was listening in on her, but it wasn't true.

"Omar Jenkins," she said and the officer looks at her with a bewildered look.

"Wait a minute, you said Omar Jenkins?" he asked and Angel nods. "Oh, you should've let him rot in jail. I read the case about him and the fellows back at the station believe he had something to do with the deaths' of your friends."

"He did kill them!" Angel shouted, but caught herself. "I'm sorry, but you should write this down," she said to the officer and he listened. "He sold me for drugs and that's how I ended up in the Black Widow in Miami. One more thing, before Stretch died, he told me that Omar shot him and Dizzy."

The officer wrote down every word Angel had said. "One more thing I need to ask, do you have any idea where we can find Omar Jenkins?" he asked.

"I don't know, we were homeless and lived in a car," she said and gave info of the make and model of the car.

"We'll check it out and get back to you," the officer replied and gets up to leave. "By the way, we contacted Mr. Fitzsimons' next of kin, his Aunt Edith, and she wishes to have her nephew buried beside his parents, here in Ohmtown," he said and adds, "We also contacted Mr. McCullum's sister and she also wants to have her brother buried in Ohmtown's cemetery."

"When will the coroner release the bodies?" Angel asked.

"Tomorrow morning," the officer informed.

"Thank you," she said and the officer bid her good day and left.

Angel sat down, again, just as Mok joined her. "Angel, if you want me to arrange their funerals, I can," he said.

"I have to ask their relatives and see what they want to do, although we should do a double funeral," Angel replied, "Do you have a phone?"

"No need, M.A.I. can direct a call to them," Mok said and leads her to M.A.I.'s main room.

A large screen was in the room, some monitors were feeding the computer, perhaps some information, and the computer came to life. "Welcome Angel, how may I be of service?" M.A.I. asked.

"M.A.I., I would like for you to connect to these people, please," Angel said and gives the computer the names. She heard a dial tone and two people answered.

"Yes?" Aunt Edith asked.

"Hello?" Stretch's sister, Sarah replied.

"Aunt Edith? Sarah?" Angel said and they both replied.

"Angel, how are you?" Sarah asked.

"I just finished talking to a police officer and he gave me information of where Stretch and Dizzy are. I want to ask you two, how do you want to proceed with the funeral? I think we should do a double funeral," Angel informed them. She heard Aunt Edith sniff and Sarah hiccuped, both of them were still in mourning.

"I agree with you Angel, Stretch and Dizzy were good friends and they should be buried at the same time," Aunt Edith said and Sarah also agreed. "I contacted the nearest funeral home and they said they will take them and they said the boys will be ready the following day," Aunt Edith added.

"So, three days?" Sarah asked.

"Yes," Angel answered.

"Angel," Aunt Edith said, "I need to know, who killed them?"

"Omar," she replied and she heard Aunt Edith sigh as if in regret and Sarah began to cry.

"I knew that something was wrong with that boy. I really want to hunt him down and give him a piece of my fucking mind!" Aunt Edith exclaimed and then broke into a sob.

"I'm really sorry, there was nothing I could do," Angel said.

"Don't you ever blame yourself," Sarah replied, "He made himself as an enemy to everyone and he will pay for the consequences."

"I hate to cut this short, but I have to go," Aunt Edith said and bid goodbye.

"I should go, too. Take care Angel," Sarah replied and they both disconnected.

Angel left the computer room and sat outside on the patio. She breathed in the cool air and listened to the rustling of the trees.


	40. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Three days passed and then came the day of Dizzy and Stretch's double funeral. Aunt Edith and Sarah both agreed to have the two boys buried next to each other beside Dizzy's parents.

Nicholai, Minnie, and Harold decided to go to the funeral, despite that they never knew the boys, but they did it out of the kindness of their hearts.

Everyone, including Mok's employees wore black, the color of mourning. Minnie, however, despised the color black. "She sort of sworn herself to never wear black after her mother's funeral," Nicholai said to the others.

"But I'll wear it for Angel," Minnie replied and wore a black, ruffed skirt and black blouse.

It was a beautiful day, with no cloud in the sky and the sun shone bright, despite the bitter sadness in the air.

The two caskets were shown in a little chapel and they were covered with two large bouquets of flowers.

Aunt Edith was the first to share her mournful speech about how much she loved her nephew that she considered him as a son.

"I never had kids, but I always visualized him as being a good, handsome man that would take care of me in my old age," she said and characterized Dizzy as a caring person, who would do anything to help those around him.

Aunt Edith stepped down and Sarah went up. "Stretch was one of those rare people who would make you laugh and put a smile on your face," she said and informs everyone that Stretch dreamed of becoming a great musician one day.

"But his dream was cut short, along with Dizzy's, and I'll never forgive the one who took their lives away," Sarah added and the tears came as she stepped down.

The two caskets were taken outside to the cemetery and the group followed them to two holes that were dug. The cemetery was a beautiful place with green grass and the tombstones of the other deceased inhabitants had no trace of being touched by acid rain. A forest of whipping willows was off in the distance and it felt as if they were really crying.

Both caskets were lowered into the ground, about six feet, and Angel was the first to sprinkle a handful of dirt over them.

"Goodbye guys, I hope that where ever you are, there is no pain and no sorrow," she said and she looked at the grave markers beside the open holes. They were of Dizzy's parents. She touched them, rubbing her fingers over the names of James and Fiona Fitzsimons and the group left the cemetery.

The group then went to Mok's mansion for the after funeral party, where they helped themselves to a buffet of meat, pasta, wine and other beverages.

"What did the police say about finding Omar?" Aunt Edith asked.

"They checked the car, he wasn't there, but they said they'll keep an eye on it in case he does come back," Angel answered as she sat beside Mok.

Aunt Edith looked at them and says to him, "I'm glad you took her in, or I should say away from that…dope head. I'm sorry I can't come to your farewell concert, my business is the second-most important thing than music, no offense."

"Same thing here, except I never really liked rock music, I hope that doesn't offend you," Sarah replied.

"None taken," Mok said.

A few hours later, Sarah and Aunt Edith left, bidding the others goodbye.

"Can I please take this off?" Minnie asked her father.

"Of course, you've been very good today," Nicholai said and Minnie shed the dreaded black clothes.

Angel had sat outside on the patio the entire time and she still sat there. Mok joins her and asks, "You are thinking of something, what is it?"

"I kept saying to myself, at least, Dizzy and Stretch are not suffering anymore," Angel answered and decided to go inside.

Mok remained where he was for a moment. He took out a small diamond ring and looked at it. It was Emmy's engagement ring and he was going to give it to Angel after he asks the one question at his concert.

"I hope she accepts, Emmy," he said as he stared up at the sky and the stars were starting to shine.

As he got up to go inside, Mok heard a twig snap and he looked into the forest that surrounded his mansion. There was no wind and he had the feeling that someone was watching.

"Toad," he called for his employee, "Check the surrounding area, I think there is someone hiding."

Toad and his brothers checked the forest, but they did not find anything suspicious and returned.

"Must've been an animal," Mok said and he and the others retired for the night.


	41. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

In Ohmtown, the nightclubs and bars were packed with young souls. Rock music flowed out of the clubs and the young generation danced to the beat.

Omar, however, was sitting alone in a bar, and he gulped down some cheap beer. The alcohol gave him a new kind of buzz, but he didn't like it.

His head pounded due to the chattering and loud music in the bar, but he had to fight it. "Yo bud, are you okay?" the bartender asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Omar lied and showed his empty beer glass.

"You might want to slow it down a bit," the bartender insisted, but Omar gave him a look.

The bartender took the glass and refilled it. Omar sipped at it and put it back down on the edge.

"Hey, you won't believe what luck I had!" a young dog humanoid next to Omar said to his friends. "I got the last ticket for Mok's farewell concert!"

"Man, you're so lucky!" someone commented.

Mok, the name ran through Omar's mind like a loud freight train. _'That old bastard, I wish he just die!'_ Omar's thoughts said.

"Did you hear about the prostitution ring he busted in Miami? Now that can't be a coincidence," a woman said.

"He said that he did it because he's in love with one of the girls he rescued, what's her name? Angie? Anya?" the young dog man asked.

"Angel Lyons, that's what I heard," one of his friends said. Omar shot up when he heard the name. _'Angel? She's with that creep?'_ his thoughts said inside his head. _'And he's in love with her?! No, no, no that can't be right!'_

"If you ask me, I have a feeling that he's going to ask that girl the big question," the young dog man said to his friends.

"Yeah, what a lucky girl," his lady friend replied. "Do you think Mok will ask her during the concert?" she asked.

"I would be surprised if he didn't," one of the other men said.

Omar had to get in that concert, but from what he heard, the tickets were completely sold out. He also can't bring in the gun, otherwise he'll get arrested at the gate and ruin his chance of finding Angel.

'_When I find her, I'm going to squish her eyes like they're bugs," _Omar's thoughts said and he got up and walked up to the young dog man.

"Hey, I heard you got the last ticket to Mok's concert," Omar said. The young dog man looked at him as if Omar mistook him for someone else.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" he asked.

"Well, how much do you want for it?" Omar asked and he hoped that the dog man wouldn't ask for a hundred.

"What? I'm not giving you my ticket, I'm going to that concert," he replied and turned around.

"I need that ticket," Omar said in a hostile voice.

"Get lost loser," the dog man replied and gave Omar the middle finger. At that moment, Omar grabbed the dog man by the hand and twisted it so hard, that he heard a crack.

"OW! What the hell is wrong with you?!" the dog man cried out, but Omar pushed him to the ground.

The dog man's lady friend began to scream as Omar punched and kicked at her helpless friend.

"Hey!" someone shouted and Omar felt strong hands grabbing at his shirt. Some of the door bouncers pulled Omar off the dog man and threw him outside and onto the ground.

Omar got up to brush off some pebbles from his shirt, but he held in one hand the ticket he stole from the dog man.

'_Now I'm going to teach you your place, Angel,'_ his thoughts said, again and he walked off into the dark night.


	42. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

The morning sun rose and its beams lit up the sky like glittering gold.

Mok was sound asleep, while Angel took a shower and got dressed. She then returned to Mok's room to open up the drapes.

"Mok, get up, tonight's the night!" she exclaimed, but he groaned.

Minnie came in and got up on Mok, who draped a blanket over his face. "Get up, get up, get up!" she repeated and roughly rubbed his shoulders.

"Okay, okay, I'm awake," he moaned and lifted his head, but then placed it back down on a pillow.

Awhile later, Mok came down to the kitchen for breakfast and looked at Angel, Minnie, Nicholai, and Harold eating their morning meal.

"Are you nervous?" Minnie asked him, but he chuckled.

"No, in fact, I'm terrified," he replied and the others laughed. "I'm going to the concert hall early with Harold, so that we can practice a little more," he said and sat down.

"Oh, by the way, I'm going to get these stitches removed a little later," Angel replied, pointing to her back.

"Before I forget, I have a present for you," Mok said and Cindy came in with two boxes and laid them on the table.

Angel opened them and gasped as she pulled out a red, leather jacket that looked just hers before she lost it in Miami. She then pulled out a pair of black pants and black leather boots.

"They look like my old clothes," Angel said.

"I had some tailors make them for you because I thought they would be fitting for tonight," Mok replied and Angel kissed him on the cheek.

"Put it on! Put it on!" Minnie exclaimed, bouncing up and down on her stool.

"Minnie, you're going to fall off," Nicholai warned and the little girl stopped squiggling.

Angel did change into her "new" clothes and she felt good to be wearing them.

Some time later, Mok and Harold, with Toad as their chauffeur, left the mansion for the concert hall.

"See you there!" Minnie called out at the two men as the limo sped away.

Mok checked his pocket and felt the diamond ring there and he gave a sigh of relief.

"You're going to ask her, aren't you?" Harold asked and Mok nodded.

"If in case she does, congratulations for the two of you. If not, then I hope the both of you will figure something out," he added and Mok had to chuckle.

Upon arriving at the concert hall, there was a swarm of news media personnel, but Toad pushed them away.

"The world really loves you," Harold joked as they entered inside.

Mok led Harold to the large stage and showed him a clip-on device. "This will go on your violin, so that everyone will be able to hear it on the speakers. Want to give it a go?" he asked and Harold nodded.

He clipped the device on the main body of the violin and started to tune it. The sound flowed out of the speakers everywhere and most of the crew was surprised to see such an instrument.

"Don't stand just there," Mok ordered the crew and they left.

He gave Harold and some of the concert crew in charge a layover of how the concert will proceed.

Mok will perform two songs and then Harold will 'rise' from the stage and perform two songs, 'Short Trip Home' and 'The Appalachia Waltz'.

"The last song will be a duet with Angel Lyons. I'll ask her to come onto the stage and we'll perform," Mok said and everyone nodded.

The hour was getting close and Mok went to the dressing room to get into a red and black jumpsuit* and have makeup applied to his face.

"This is it Mok," Harold said as he placed his cap onto his head. "Soon, the world will say goodbye to a legend, but it will also know your desire."

Then, they heard the shouting of people clamoring into the auditorium. Mok's heart began to pound, _'Get a grip, old fellow,'_ his thoughts said as he calmed himself and touched the ring in his pocket.

Meanwhile, Angel, Minnie, and Nicholai had arrived and Zip and Cindy showed them to their reserved seats. It was actually sort of a floating floor that rose high off the ground and it gave a good view of the stage.

"Oh, I can't wait!" Minnie exclaimed, jumping up and down.

"Neither can I," Angel said and looks down at the crowd.

Thousands of spectators crowded around each other, barely making enough elbow room. Unbeknownst to Angel, Omar had entered the auditorium and he was looking for her. _'Where are you hiding, bitch?'_ his mind said and found a place that had a good-enough view from the back.

Then, the lights dimmed and colored laser beams played in the air and mist surrounded the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen," an announcer said over the speakerphone and everyone hushed. "The Music Hall of Ohmtown is proud to present Mok and his final goodbye."

()()()()()

*For Mok's jumpsuit, I want you to visualize it as Michael Jackson's jumpsuit from the 'Thriller' music video.


	43. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

"I'll see you up there," Harold said to Mok as he got onto a rising platform. When he got into position, the platform rose up to the stage, and a deafening roar filled the auditorium. Flashes from cameras went off, illuminating the dark room. A spot light shone on Mok and he began to perform in his silky voice.

_***Words of violence, break the silence**_

_**Come crashing in, into my little world**_

_**Painful to me, it pierces right through me**_

_**Can't you understand? **_

_**Oh my loving girl**_

_**All I ever wanted,**_

_**All I ever needed **_

_**Is here in my arms**_

_**Words are very unnecessary**_

_**They can only do harm**_

**(Pause)**

_**Vows are spoken**_

_**And are meant to be broken**_

_**Feelings are intense**_

_**Words are trivial**_

_**Pleasures remain, so does the pain**_

_**Words are meaningful, but forgettable **_

_**All I ever wanted, **_

_**All I ever needed**_

_**Is here in my arms**_

_**Words are very unnecessary**_

_**They can only do harm**_

**(Pause)**

_**All I ever wanted,**_

_**All I ever needed**_

_**Is here in my arms,**_

_**And it is you**_

_**Words are very unnecessary**_

_**They can only do harm**_

Mok finished the first song and the crowd went crazy. Then, Mok raised a hand towards the ceiling and something began to fall.

It looked like paper, no it wasn't paper. "Are these flower petals?" Minnie asked and started to collect them.

"Yes, I believe they are," Nicholai replied. The flower petals showered over the audience and some started to fiddle with them.

An electric guitar began to play and the crowd wailed with screams as Mok began his next song.

_** ~Je suis là, me voilà**_

_**Jamais je ne pourrai vivre sans toi**_

_**Me voilà, à tes côtés**_

_**Ce soir j'ai le droit de rêver**_

_**Un nouveau monde, une nouvelle vie**_

_**Nos duex coeurs battent au rythme de la prairie**_

_**Un nouveau jour, de nouvelles joies**_

_**Je n'attandais que toi, me voilà**_

**(Pause)**

_**Nous voilà, et tout commence**_

_**J'attend depuis longtemps ce jour de chance**_

_**Oui, nous voilà, toujours ensemble**_

_**Ici sur la terre qui nous ressemble…oh…**_

_**Un nouveau monde, une nouvelle vie**_

_**Nos duex coeurs battent au rythme de la prairie**_

_**Un nouveau jour, de nouvelles joies**_

_**Je n'attandais que toi**_

_**Oooh… me voilà**_

_**Je suis là, me voilà**_

_**Jamais je ne pourrai vivre sans toi**_

_**Me voilà, à tes côtés**_

_**Ce soir j'ai le droit de...rêver**_

_**Ooh, un nouveau monde, une nouvelle vie**_

_**Nos duex coeurs battent au rythme de la prairie**_

_**Un nouveau jour, de nouvelles joies**_

_**Je n'attandais que toi**_

_**Me voilà,**_

_**Oh, me voilà**_

_**À tes côtés, **_

_**Et tout à coup, le monde est transformé**_

_**Me voilà, ooh me voilà**_

_**Je resterai**_

_**Rien ne pourra m'empêcher**_

_**Oh, me voilà!**_

The crowd went crazy, again when Mok completed the song and then, mist surrounded him and he vanished!

"Where did he go?" Minnie asked.

Then, out of the loudspeakers came the hypnotic sound of Harold's violin as he began to play 'Short Trip Home'.

Harold had appeared on stage, having come through an opening on the stage and the crowd simply hushed.

Harold played the notes without any flaw and when he finished the song, there was a deafening roar of claps and cheers.

Harold gave a quick bow and began to play 'The Appalachia Waltz'.

In the crowd, Omar was the only one who was not hypnotized by the unusual instrument and ignored the music.

When Harold finished, the audience applauded, again, and he gave one last bow, just as Mok walked onto the stage.

"I would like to thank all of you for coming out tonight," Mok said to the crowd. "And I would also like give a heart-felt thanks to those who have believed in my recovery. Before I perform my final song for tonight, I would like for Angel Lyons to come onstage."

Angel froze, what was Mok doing? And why did he ask her to come onto the stage?

The floating floor came down to the edge of the stage and Angel stepped off. Mok stretched out his hand and she took it.

"Angel, with this crowd as witnesses, I am here to ask you one question, but first I want to tell you something. When I first saw you, you looked like an angel and after a few days, I realized that I am nothing without you. I said the same thing to Emmy before she died, but she told me to find a woman and love her as much as I loved Emmy," he said and then, he bended down on one knee.

Angel placed a hand over her mouth and the girls in the audience began to either scream or cry. Mok held out the diamond ring and asks, "Angel, will you marry me?"

The woman could not stop the tears that formed in her eyes and they fell down her cheeks.

"Say yes! Say yes!" the girls in the crowd shouted to her.

Omar looked on in bewilderment as he witnessed the event unfold. _'No, no, no!'_ his thoughts shouted very angrily in his head. He began to push through the crowd and headed toward the stage. _'I'm going to kill them! I don't care if I don't have a gun, I'm going to kill them!'_ Omar's thoughts shouted.

Fury ran in his blood, he was going to kill them, even if it means getting killed himself.

During the scuffle, he touched something warm and soft and then, a woman screamed in his ear.

"Hey!" a man shouted and Omar turned to see that he caught a woman's breast in his hand. "Get your hands off her!" the man beside the woman demanded and pushed Omar away.

Omar forgot about his anger toward Mok and Angel, he was now irritated with this man who pushed him.

"What's going on here?!" another man's voice came into the mix.

"This guy just assaulted my girlfriend!" the other man replied, holding the shaking woman, and pointed at Omar.

The muscular dog man turned out to be part of the security crew and he grabbed Omar by the shoulders and started to pull him away from the crowd.

Meanwhile, the audience called out to Angel, "Say yes! Say yes!"

Taking a microphone, Angel finally spoke, "Yes, a million times yes."

Mok slipped the ring onto her finger and they shared a kiss and the crowd went crazy.

When they departed lips, Mok says to her, "I want us to sing your song, the one you performed that night at Lars'."

Angel nodded and the music began to play the tune and the two began to sing.

_**^Now for all you'll ever know, **_

_**That you've never seen me,**_

_**And someday you're gonna show **_

_**What your one desire means**_

_**Now I only set the stage focus lights on me**_

_**I make sure the power's on **_

_**On the scenery**_

_**Oh, what will the signal be,**_

_**For your eyes to see me?**_

_**Watching offside as I wait, **_

_**Just in case you need me**_

_**So I still will set the stage, **_

_**Send my thoughts to you.**_

_**I'm receiving every wave that sent love, **_

_**Sent love through.**_

_**You know, love's not what you think**_

_**Too weak to stand on like quick sand in which you sink**_

_**Love is anything you make it**_

_**How can I let you feel my love**_

_**Feel me and still feel free**_

_**I mean I have the answers now**_

_**So what?**_

_**Oh, what will the signal be **_

_**For your eyes to see me?**_

_**Watching offside as I wait **_

_**Just in case you need me**_

_**So I still will set the stage, **_

_**Send my thoughts to you.**_

_**I'm receiving every wave that sent love, **_

_**sent love through.**_

_**Now I have revealed exactly why I'm here**_

_**I'll be your angel if you wanna see **_

_**How perfect sharing love with an angel can be.**_

The two finished the song and the crowd gave applause and cheers that deafened their ears.

Omar, meanwhile, as he was being taken out of the auditorium, heard Angel's song.

"Wait! That's our song!" he bellowed out, but the security guard ignored him and took him outside of the concert hall.

"Make sure he doesn't come back in," the guard said to the others and he threw Omar to the ground.

Omar was now enraged over the thought that Angel had left him for Mok. _'I'll kill them!' _his thoughts yelled out.

Back inside, Mok and Angel looked at the crowd. The people were crazy with excitement and some shouted out, "Kiss! Kiss!"

"Should we? Again, I mean?" Mok asked his new fiancée.

Angel ignored the question and they kissed, again and their ears became deaf from the shouting and crying.

()()()()()

*The first song Mok performed is called "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode. I have tweaked the words "my little girl" to "loving girl" and a few other words.

~ The second song, "Me Viola" is the French version of "Here I Am" by Bryan Adams from the movie, "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron".

^ "Angel's Song/ Send Love Through" by Debbie Harry was one of the songs performed in the movie "Rock & Rule".


	44. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

"Congratulations!" Cindy exclaimed as she entered the dressing room.

Mok had gotten out of the jumpsuit and into normal clothes and Angel removed the makeup from his face.

Angel could not stop looking at him and the diamond ring on her finger. "If life had a rewind button, I would watch the whole concert all over, again," she said to Mok.

"Oh, they'll be playing it all over the news for days on end," he replied and asks, "I know this is early, but where do you want the wedding?"

Angel began to think and answers, "I always thought of having one on a cliff over-looking the ocean, but definitely not Florida."

"Oh, I can picture it now," Cindy said and adds, "A clear, blue sky, the ocean glittering in the background behind you two when you take your vows. You two under a tree with a priest and—"

"That's enough Cindy," Toad cut in, "Don't want you to spoil the day for them."

Minnie and Nicholai entered in and the little girl looked at the ring and she dropped the flower petals she had in her hands. "When's the wedding?!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry, it's not going to be any time soon, they still need to plan it," her father said and she groaned.

"Minnie, would you be happy to be our flower girl?" Angel asked.

"What does a flower girl do?" Minnie replied.

"She would walk down the aisle before the bride does and she drops flower petals along the way," Angel explained to her.

"Oh, sounds like fun, I'll do it!" the little girl exclaimed.

Nicholai, Minnie, and Harold left with Cindy and Zip, while Mok and Angel stayed behind to brace themselves against the media and fans.

As soon as they walked out the door, news reporters, paparazzi, and squealing fans formed a barrier around the two, with Toad protecting them.

"Back it off!" the chauffeur shouted and pushed them aside for his employer.

Angel looked around, _'So this is what stardom is like,'_ she thought. When she reached the limo, she looked on the other side, and stopped dead in her tracks.

Staring at her was none other than Omar. Angel's heart began to pound as she looked into his cold, emotionless eyes, but she could tell that Omar was enraged over her engagement to Mok.

Then, the paparazzi got over to the other side of the limo and blocked Angel's view of Omar. She looked over the crazy photographers, but she saw that Omar had vanished.

"Angel, are you all right?" Mok asked and she snapped back to reality.

They got into the limo and Toad sped away from the crowd. Angel looked out the window, but Omar was nowhere in sight.

"Angel, what's the matter?" Mok asked, again.

She looked at him with terror in her eyes, "I saw Omar," she replied and Mok was surprised.

"Are you sure?" he asked and looked out the back window.

"I don't know," Angel replied, "I can't get his eyes out of my head! Those cold, dark eyes! He's going to kill us!"

"Angel, calm down," Mok said and took her into his arms. She took deep breaths and relaxed a bit and then kissed Mok.

"I'll leave you two alone," Toad said and pressed a button for the glass barrier to lift up.

"As I said Angel, you should leave until the police catch that lunatic," Mok informed her.

"No way, I'm not leaving you," she replied, "I left you and that got me in deep shit. There's no telling what Omar will do and I told you, I want to fight back."

"Alright, but I must tell you, and I will tell everyone else, to keep your guard up and defend yourself. However, I am worried about what Omar will do to Minnie and Nicholai," Mok informed and she nods.

When the limo arrived at the mansion, Mok says to Toad, "Have everyone gather in the common room immediately."

Toad did as he was told; he and his siblings, Nicholai, Minnie, and Harold came together in the common room.

"Everyone, I'm afraid I have some bad news," Mok said to them and they looked at him. "Angel has caught sight of Omar. Now, the police say they were unable to locate him, but if Angel said she did see him, then we have to be prepared."

"Is he a bad guy?" Minnie asked.

"A very, very bad guy," Angel replied.

Mok then informs them, "Omar may be armed with a weapon and I believe it is best that we don't approach him. If he fights, which I believe he will, we have to fight back."

"Well, one thing, um, is for sure," Zip replied, "I'm not letting, uh, him take Angel, I mean, our lady."

"Count me in, if he does come near milady, I will be more than happy to rip his head off," Cindy said.

"Nicholai, I believe it is best for Minnie's safety that you leave," Mok said to his friend.

"No!" Minnie exclaimed.

"Minnie, I know this is hard, but this bad man might hurt you, or worse," Mok said to the little mouse girl.

"No, I want to fight him!" Minnie shouted and stomped on her feet.

Mok looks at Nicholai for help, "I think you'll never forgive me, but I have to agree with her. I also want to fight against this Omar," he said and Mok gave a look of shock.

"Please, Nicholai, you are a very good friend and I love your daughter, I admit it, but I don't want you two to get hurt," the rock star replied.

"But friends stay and fight against bad people," Minnie remarked.

Mok gave a sigh and replies, "If Omar kills one of you, I'll never forgive myself."

"And as I said, a long time ago in fact, that if anything were to happen to me, I want you to take care of Minnie," Nicholai reminded his friend and placed a hand on Mok's shoulder and Minnie gave him a chocking hug.

"Alright, but can you promise me to keep your senses open?" the rock star asked the little girl.

"What kind of senses?" she asked in return and he chuckled.

"Your eyes, ears, and, I don't know if your father told you this, your defensive instincts," Mok answered and then adds, "However, if anything seems to be scary for you, you run. Run far away from the bad man as fast as you can."

Minnie shook her head up and down and Mok looks over to Harold.

"You have a choice, too, you can stay or go," he said to the violinist.

"I sense that there is a wind coming by tomorrow afternoon and it will be going west. You think I'm a coward, but I'll be leaving by then," Harold replied.

"No, you're one with the wind and you should obey it," Angel said and kissed his cheek.

"I really appreciate your hospitality, I hope I find other people like you out there," the dog man smiled and retires to the guest bedroom.

Everyone else also went away from the common room, but before Mok and Angel left, Zip asks, "Boss, would you feel sorry if, um, something bad happened to us?"

"Of course I would, where else can I find a good cook?" Mok asked him.

The rock star and his fiancée entered their bedroom, but Angel felt uneasy as she looked out the window.

Mok stands behind her and gently rubs her back. He realized that the prickly stitches were gone and he looked at the closed wounds.

"Angel, no one besides Nicholai knows about this, but I believe you should know as well," Mok said and they sat down on the bed and he tells her his horrible childhood and his darkest secret.

When he finished telling her his story, Angel gave a look of bewilderment and embraces him. "You did what you had to do," she said.

They shut off the lights and went to sleep. However, outside in the dark forest, Omar looked up at the mansion. "Now I know where you're hiding," he whispered and he began to think of a plan.

An idea came to his head and he leaves. "I'll be back and I'm going to make you pay for what you did," Omar said, heading back to town.


	45. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Omar had walked all the way from the mansion to a gas station. He went inside the store and began to look for gasoline canisters. He took two of them and purchased them at the counter.

"I also like to fill them up," he said to the clerk.

"Okay," the clerk replied and added up the total, "Which pump?" he asked.

"Number 3," Omar answered and adds, "Put in 40 for the gas."

The clerk added more on the total and it came up 75.49. Omar was irritated by it, but he handed over four 20 dollar bills and was given change.

He went to the gas pump and began to fill up the canisters. He made sure that both of them were all the way full.

When the pump stopped, Omar noticed that the second canister was half-way full and he was quite irritated by that.

Instead of confronting the clerk, Omar decided to take whatever gasoline he had and headed toward a dark alley.

A group of dog men were chattering among themselves and Omar approached them.

"Do you have some dope?" he asked and the ringleader looked at him.

"How much do you have?" he replied and Omar pulled out the remaining bills and change.

The ringleader took them and had one of his buddies count them. "4.51," he said.

The leader gave a sneer, "Come back when you have more," he said to Omar.

"That's all I have," Omar replied. The ringleader looked at the canisters.

"What do you have in there?" he asked, again.

"I need it," Omar replied, his anger was rising.

"Well you can get a high from that," the ringleader said and turned away.

Omar grabbed him by the front of the ringleader's shirt, "I need some dope!" he shouted.

The others were ready to pounce on him, but then, Omar held up the gun and they backed off.

"What the fuck man?" one of the dog men asked.

"Give me some dope or I'll shoot your goddamn heads off!" Omar ordered.

The ringleader looked at one of his henchmen and nods at him. The dog man dug into his pockets and gave Omar a few bags of a white substance.

He took the bags and put them in his pocket. He then took the canisters and left.

Omar went into a public restroom and sniffed up a bag. The buzz came back, but Omar's vision was going crazy and his legs were shaking.

"Don't even think about passing out!" he yelled at himself.

The sun was rising and Omar wobbled out of the restroom and he headed back to Mok's mansion.


	46. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Angel and Mok awoke to the rising sun and they looked out the window, there was nothing outside.

"How well did you sleep?" Mok asked her.

"Barely slept a wink," Angel answered and headed to the shower.

She stood under the rushing water that fell not from a shower head, but from holes in the ceiling of the stall.

When she was finished, Angel dried off and wrapped a towel around her body, but she looked at the scars on her back. The wounds had closed, but the skin became tough and scabby. She then looked in the mirror, staring at her glass reflection. She wished she was tough, tough enough to fight back against Omar. Heck, she wanted to find him herself and confront him and turn him in to the police.

However, Mok did say that he could be armed and Omar could kill her with the gun he used on Stretch and Dizzy.

"Miss Angel?" someone said from the door and Angel nearly screamed. She looked to see Minnie in the doorway and Angel blushed as she only wore a towel.

"Uh, hi Minnie," she said in an embarrassed tone. "Um, sorry I need to get dressed," Angel added and shut the door.

Angel blow dried her blonde hair and got into her black pants and shirt and her red jacket. "If I die, I might as well wear something I like," she said to herself.

She went down to join the others for breakfast and there was an uneasy feeling in the air.

"Boss, I got a Rockers' Life Magazine person on the line, he wants to set up an interview with you this evening," Toad said to his boss.

"Tell them that my answer is no, in fact, I want you to say something that will make them stop calling," Mok replied.

"Oh, you mean like, f—" Mok grabbed hold of Toad's mouth, preventing him from saying the nasty word in front of Minnie.

"I would really appreciate it if you don't say stuff like that in front of Minnie," the rock star said to his employee.

"Mok, I think you should go," Angel said, but Mok looks at her.

"There is nothing that will make me leave you here in this old mansion with that crazy ex out there, who might come here and kill you," Mok replied, sounding rather paranoid.

"Mok," Angel said, "I know, I feel paranoid, too, but I think we need to relax a bit. Besides, if Toad is with you, he'll protect you, and with Sleazy, Cindy, and Zip here, they'll protect the rest of us."

Mok sighed and nods in agreement. "Toad, I change my mind, I will go," he said and Toad heads off.

A few hours passed and just as Harold predicted, a wind from the south hit Ohmtown and it was heading north.

The dog man violinist packed his belongings and bid his friends goodbye just as the sun was setting. "Are you sure you have to go?" Minnie asked.

"I'm afraid so. Maybe this time, the wind will take me some place new," Harold said and walks down the driveway leading into Ohmtown.

When darkness came, Mok and Toad headed out. "If there is anything wrong, you know where to contact me," the rock star said to his fiancée.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Angel persuaded him into the limo.

"Toad, can you drive a bit slow this time?" Mok asked his chauffeur and Toad nods and drove the limo at a slow pace.

Mok looked into the woods that surrounded his property, but since it was so dark, he couldn't see anyone hiding there.

"I just hope this interview goes quick," he said to himself.

However, Mok failed to notice Omar, hiding behind the trees, and the drugged up dog man was wobbling up to the mansion.

Inside the mansion, Minnie and Zip helped themselves to ice cream, while Nicholai watched in amusement. Cindy and Sleazy checked to see if all the windows were locked. Angel, feeling exhausted, decided to lie down on the bed for a while.

Outside, Omar made it to the mansion and got started in dousing the walls with gasoline. He also got the patio and he made sure he used every last drop of the flammable liquid. Finally, Omar got out a lighter and lit the gas. The fire quickly crept up the walls and the patio, engulfing them in flames.

Angel, who was asleep on the bed, was tossing and turning as she was being plagued by a dream.

_Angel found herself in a dark space, but then, a bright light appeared in front of her. Out of the light came a beautiful woman with curly red hair and dazzling green eyes._

_Angel stared at the woman and she seemed to recognize her. "Emmy?" she asked and the woman nods._

"_Angel, you need to wake up! You need to get out of the mansion! Quickly!" Emmy exclaimed, but Angel was confused._

"_Why? What is wrong?" she asked, but she saw the terror in Emmy's eyes._

"_Can you not smell it? Can you not sense it?" Emmy asked._

_That was when Angel felt the heat from somewhere and it felt real. "He's here; he's here to kill you! Wake up Angel! Wake up!" Emmy cried out._

Angel awoke with a start and looked around. The bedroom was dark, but she saw a flickering light outside the window and she peeked out.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed when she saw the flames and ran out the room.

"Cindy! Minnie! Guys!" she called out and startled them.

"Angel, what's the matter?" Cindy asked.

"We need to get out, the mansion's on fire!" Angel cried and everyone gasped.

They went up the front door, but flaming debris came down, blocking their way.

Minnie cried as Zip held her in his arms. "Everyone move!" Cindy ordered and they got out of the foyer.

The fire was now eating at everything inside and the group felt the unbearable heat.

"Guys, I have an idea," Angel said and led them to her bedroom.

"Sleazy, can you take out the window?" she asked.

The muscular giant took a chair and slammed it against the glass and it shattered.

"Cindy, help me with this!" Angel demanded and tried to remove the mattress from the bed.

"Move over girlfriend!" Cindy ordered and took the mattress in both of her hands.

Cindy threw the mattress out the window and it landed flat on the ground.

"Okay, Zip, you take Minnie and jump out," Angel ordered and the two obeyed. Zip held the crying girl in his arms and he jumped out and landed on the mattress.

"Sleazy, you take Nicholai," Angel said and Sleazy took him on his back.

They jumped out and landed softly on the mattress. "Okay Angel, let's go," Cindy said, but noticed that Angel was looking for something.

She took the box of Rosie's paper cranes and got on Cindy. They jumped out and landed on the mattress just in time as the bedroom was enveloped in flames.

"Everyone move!" Angel ordered and they hurried away from the mansion.

They reached the safety of the thicket of trees and released sighs of relief. Angel, however, remembered what Emmy said to her in the dream and suddenly felt the fear inside.

"We need to get away from here, quick!" she said and they were about to leave when someone stepped out in front of them.

Angel's heart began to pound so loud and fast that she thought she was going to faint when she saw him, Omar.

"I got you now, bitch," he said to her and he held up the gun to her face.


	47. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Mok's limo was about to reach the city limits. The rock star shut his eyes for a just a few seconds, but in his vision, he saw Emmy.

'_Turn around! Turn back!' _she had called out to him and Mok woke up.

He turned his head to see out of the back window. "Toad, stop the car!" he ordered and the chauffeur slammed on the breaks.

Mok got out and saw a yellow, flickering light on top of the hill, where his mansion was.

"Oh my God, no!" he exclaimed and got back into the limo. "Toad, turn around! We got to go back!" Mok ordered and Toad did as he was told. He turned the limo around and pressed on the gas and the limo sped back to the mansion.

Angel felt like she was staring Death in the face. Omar looked as if he found his prize and was prepared to shoot her.

"Put the gun down, you dope-head!" Cindy ordered, getting herself in front of Angel.

"Angel," Omar said in a low voice, "You left me…for that old…piece of shit…" he spoke in slurs and Angel knew he was high.

"Omar, please, put the gun down," she said, calmly, but then, Omar ran up to her.

Cindy blocked his path and pushed him to the ground, but the gun went off.

Minnie gave a yelp of surprise, but no one was hit by the bullet.

"Angel, you…bitch…" Omar said.

"You're finished pal!" Sleazy shouted and charged at him.

Suddenly, Omar pulled the trigger and a shot rang out. Everyone screamed, but Sleazy gave a wail of agony and clutched his left knee. Blood squirted from his calf and the giant fell to the ground.

"Goddamn! Son of a bitch!" Sleazy cried out profanities.

Zip and Nicholai, with Minnie in his arms, tended to Sleazy's injured leg, leaving Cindy to defend herself and Angel.

"No more, no more!" Omar yelled out, pressing his hands to his ears. There was a loud ringing in his ears and he wanted it to stop.

Just then, Mok's limo screeched to a halt and the rock star got out and spotted the others and Omar, holding the gun.

Without another thought, Mok charged at Omar and crashed into him. Omar lost his grip on the gun as the two rolled down the hill, with Mok throwing punches at Omar's face.

Omar grabbed hold of Mok's neck and then, the two went into a creek. They threw punches at one another, but then, Omar pushed Mok down into the water, submerging his head.

Mok began to panic, the bubbles were obstructing his vision and he punched and kicked at Omar, but he did not let go.

"NO!" Angel screamed, taking her jacket and wrapped it around Omar's head. Omar let go of Mok as Angel pulled Omar away from her beloved.

Mok pulled himself out of the water, chocking and clutching his neck. Angel pulled hard on Omar and they got back onto dry land. Then, Omar hit the Angel's nose with the back of his head and she let go of the jacket. Omar looked down at Angel, like a predator ready for the kill.

Then, Omar was hit by some small rocks and Angel looked up to see the others, including Minnie, throwing them.

"Leave them alone, you bad man!" Minnie ordered and threw more at Omar.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Angel spotted the gun and reached for it. Omar had had it and charged at the little girl. Minnie gave a scream as the dog man stretched his hands toward her.

"Stop!" Angel shouted and Omar did. He turned around to see her, holding the gun up and was pointing at him.

"C'mon…babe…" he slurred out the words, "You're not…going to…shoot me…? I'm your…boyfriend…"

"I should've just let you rot in some prison! You made my life a living hell!" Angel shouted out the words.

"You left…me and…the band…for Mok…" Omar said and his legs wobbled.

"Omar, listen to me," Mok replied as he got out of the creek and Omar looked at him.

"Angel did not leave you; I took her against her will," Mok said and continues, "It wasn't until later, I realized that fame and fortune do not matter. Life is meant to live, learn, and love. I rescued Angel from that hell-hole because I love her and I am not going to let you take her back to a life of misery."

"Shut up!" Omar shouted, pressing his hands to his ears.

"Omar, I know what you are going through. Please, we'll get you some help," Mok said, "But hear this; you're going to prison for what you did to Angel and to your friends."

"Angel is mine! And I'll do whatever I like to her!" Omar shouted.

"Mok, it's no use, he's beyond help," Nicholai said to his friend, while holding his daughter.

"Angel got what she deserved!" Omar shouted, again.

Angel felt a wave of anger towards this drug-addict and she asks, "What about Stretch and Dizzy? What did they do to you?!"

"What are…you talking…about…?" Omar asked in confusion.

"Don't you remember?! You killed them!" Angel shouted.

Omar looked confused, but in his vision, a demon was threatening him. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" he shouted and charged at Angel.

"NO!" Mok cried out.

Angel shut her eyes; she wished she never met Omar and she never wanted to see his face, again. At that moment, she pulled the trigger. She heard a bang and someone screamed, maybe Minnie, and Angel dared herself to open her eyes.

A few inches away, Omar stared at her, but then looked down at his chest. Crimson blood began to bloom on his shirt and he clutched at the bullet wound.

"I did…love you…" he said, "Why is it…so cold…?"

Omar fell on his back and died. Angel's knees buckled, but she still held the gun in her hand. She looked at the body of her former boyfriend, till Mok came to her side. He took the gun and laid it down on the ground.

"It's over," Mok said and held her tight in his arms. Off in the distance, they heard the wail of sirens.


	48. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

A week had passed since the incident. Sleazy was taken to the hospital and the doctors were able to save his leg.

Unfortunately, Mok's mansion had burned to the ground, leaving nothing to salvage.

"The good part about this is that we're alive," Mok said to everyone.

"But you have no place to live anymore," Minnie reminded him.

The group had been living in a hotel since the night of the fire, but no one had a good rest that night.

Omar's body was taken to the coroner's office, where it was discovered that he had cocaine in his system. The coroner tested Omar's blood and there was twice the amount of the drug in it. The coroner reported that Omar was suffering some brain damage that caused him to hallucinate and express violent behavior.

"He was already on Death's doorstep," the coroner said to the police commissioner.

It was decided that no charges would be filed against Angel, as it was clear that she killed Omar in self-defense. Angel agreed with the police commissioner to have Omar's body cremated.

One morning, Angel and Mok were discussing of where they can live.

"We can make your place in New York a permanent residence," Angel said to Mok one day, but he shook his head.

"Angel, I gave some thought into this, but I've found a new place for us," he replied and she was curious.

"I never told Nicholai this, but I grew up in a town called Mystic Rock Harbor, it's about fifty miles from Vancouver," he explained.

"Vancouver? As in British Columbia? In Canada?" she asked and Mok nods.

"Look at this and tell me of what do you think," he said and hands her a few photos of a house on a beach. The house was a bit worn down, but it looked like a few easy fixes and maybe modernize it a bit.

The outside was painted gray and brown, but Angel visualized it in yellow and white. The shutters were falling off the hinges and the upper and lower porches had some chipping paint. The pool looked like it could use some modernization.

She looked at the photos that showed the inside. The hardwood and tile floors were in need of a good wash, but the carpet in some of the bedrooms needed to be replaced.

"This place looks like it will cost a fortune to be redone," she said after looking through them.

"That I am well aware of, but I have hired the best people to have it repaired," Mok replied.

"When will they start working?" Angel asked and he smiled.

"Whenever you give the word," he said and then pulls out some more photos. It was of a seaside cliff with a weeping willow tree.

"I believe this is where you want to have our wedding," Mok said and Angel was astonished.

"Oh, it's perfect," she replied.

"Okay girlfriend!" Cindy exclaimed when she entered the room with Minnie, disturbing them and she noticed. "Oh, sorry, I guess I should've knocked."

"Yes, you should've. What is it?" Angel asked.

"I just want to see if you like to look over wedding dresses," Cindy said and holding up some magazines.

"I'll leave you girls alone, have fun," Mok replied and leaves.

Minnie sat on Angel's lap and the three opened the magazines, looking at dozens of pictures of women in wedding dresses.

Some were unusual, but others were like out of a fairytale. Minnie looked at every picture, "So this is what girls wear when they get married?" she asked.

"That's right," Angel answered and Minnie points to one picture. The dress was made of lace and it had a back side with floral details.

"I like that and this," Minnie said and pointing to another.

"I can't wear all of them, I can only wear one," Angel reminded the little girl.

"But, if you keep the pictures, because one day, you'll get married," Cindy said.

"I want to get married!" Minnie exclaimed.

"But first, you need to find someone to love you," Angel said and Minnie smiles.

"I know I'll find someone," the little girl replied and then points to another picture.

"I really like this one!" she exclaimed.

The picture showed a strapless ball-gown type dress that was made of taffeta with a sweetheart shaped neckline and crystals formed around the waistline.

"Me too," Cindy said.

"So do I," Angel replied and stared at the picture for a long time.

Awhile later, the girls picked out a maid of honor dress for Cindy. It was a sea green colored short skirt made of satin and lace. Minnie's flower girl dress was made of white satin and had a sea green silk bowtie in the back.

"When are you getting married?" Minnie asked Angel.

"In three months, Mok found this beautiful seaside cliff in British Columbia, just outside Vancouver," Angel answered.

"Can't you get married much sooner?" the little girl asked.

"Don't worry, it'll be here before you know it," Cindy replied.

In truth, Angel wanted to get married very soon, but it will have to wait and she knew that it will be the best wedding there is.


	49. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Three months had passed rather quickly for Angel and Mok. During that time, they and their employees had left Ohmtown and headed out to Mystic Rock Harbor in British Columbia, Canada.

Since Mok had Canadian citizenship, he was welcomed back to his birthplace and the government agreed in giving citizenship certificates to Angel, Cindy, Toad, Sleazy, and Zip. Mok had also persuaded the government officer in giving passports to Nicholai, Minnie, and Lisa, giving them the opportunity to visit any time.

It was also during this time that Angel had applied to the B.C. Police Training Academy in the town of Mystic Rock Harbor and they accepted her. She was to begin her training in detective forensics in the fall.

Upon arriving to their new home, the workers had completed in renovating the run down beach house. "It's exactly what I pictured it," Angel said when she stepped out of the limo. The outside of the house was painted yellow and white and it had the latest interior and exterior fashion.

On the first night in their new home, Angel and Mok made love and had a peaceful sleep afterward.

Now, it was the day of their wedding. It was to be a private ceremony; only those who received an invitation were allowed in. However, the media wanted in on the action, but the police of Mystic Rock Harbor would not have it and kicked the media personnel out.

Those who were invited were Aunt Edith, Sarah and her family, Commissioner Holton, Dr. Lexa Pryce, and other rock stars that Mok knew.

The ceremony was set on cliff that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. The sun was out and there was no cloud to be spoken of.

"I wish Harold was here to see this," Angel said to Cindy, who was adding a few last minute adjustments.

"I'm sure he wanted to," Cindy answered and handed Angel her tiara and veil. Angel was wearing the ball-gown dress that she and Minnie picked. It was a glorious dress and Angel felt a sense of being lifted away from her worries.

The memories started to flow in her mind; the years of enduring Omar's abuse, her first meeting with Mok, the nightmare of the Black Widow, and the rescue. Now she can lock them away for a long time.

"Angel! Angel!" Minnie exclaimed and jumped up and down. "It's almost time!" the little said.

Minnie was wearing the flower-girl dress with the sea green bowtie and she wore a tiara of flowers. She was to walk the aisle, dropping flower petals on the white carpet.

Out by the white arch that stood under the shade of a blooming magnolia tree, Mok was waiting rather impatiently, and his heart was pounding.

'_Keep it together, old fellow,'_ his mind kept telling him.

Then, the time came. Toad, Sleazy, and Zip came first. Cindy came next, holding a bouquet of pink and white roses. Minnie followed behind, dropping flower petals. Then, Angel appeared and she walked down towards her beloved.

She joined hands with Mok and the ceremony began. The priest gave blessings and the two lovers exchanged vows and slipped the rings onto each other's fingers. "I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest said. Angel and Mok shared a loving kiss and the crowd cheered.

Awhile later, everyone entered the gazebo where the reception was held. They were greeted by the beautiful sound of a violin as it played 'Short Trip Home'.

"Harold?!" Angel exclaimed when she saw the dog man. The Appalachia violinist smiled and finished playing. He, Angel, and Mok exchanged hugs. "How did you get here?" Mok asked, rather curiously.

"As I said, I hitch a ride on whatever will take me," Harold answered, "I got on a train that led to Vancouver and I hitched a ride with someone who was passing here," he then explained. "I must say, the wind must be in both of your favors, it brought me here in time," he added and the newlyweds smiled.

The festivity began; there was food and drinks, dancing and music, and the guests gave their congrats to the new couple.

Nicholai then stood up, tapped his champagne glass and everyone hushed. Nicholai had his bandages removed; his face had many burn scars, his ears had melted, and he barely had a nose. No one paid attention to that, instead, they listened.

"I would like to give a toast to Mr. and the new Mrs. Mok Swagger. May you be blessed with years of love and live the life you yearned for," Nicholai said.

The day had whined down into the evening. It was time for the couple to head on out towards their honeymoon destination. They chose the Chateau of Lake Louise, deep within Banff's National Park in Alberta.

"I'm beginning to love Canada," Angel said to Mok.

"And it will love you back," he replied, "As much as I do," he added.

Before getting into their limo, Angel threw her bouquet. The women tried to grab it, but Minnie caught it!

The newlyweds rode away, their new life had already begun.


	50. Epilogue

Epilogue

Life had turned out beautifully for both Mok and Angel. After returning from their one month honeymoon, Angel entered the B.C. Police Training Academy and began the long education process in detective forensics.

The hours went from the morning and into the night, but Angel would always find some time for her husband.

However, ever since she began her classes, Angel experienced morning sickness and would feel exhausted from time to time.

At first, she and Mok blamed it on the stress of the training, but Angel knew that theory was not right.

She decided to take a pregnancy test and it turned out positive. At first, she didn't know how to say it in front of everyone, including Mok.

She told Cindy first and asked how she can explain it to Mok. "Say it outright, but I would surprise him. Say something like a little rascal kicked you in the stomach," Cindy said. At that moment, Angel could feel the life within her moving. It was small, but it felt very much alive.

She found Mok tending to his new garden, there were only some sprouts in the soil, but Angel knew he was going to treasure them.

"What will these become?" she asked.

"I believe they will be roses, but it will take a life time for them to grow," he replied and an idea popped into Angel's head.

"How long do you think this sprout will take to grow?" she asked, pointing to her stomach.

Mok was confused; what was his wife talking about? There was a sprout in her stomach? Then, it hit him and his jaw opened wide.

"Angel, are you saying…?" he asked, but he could not get the words out.

Angel nodded and Mok threw his arms around her and they laughed and cried together.

Months had passed, Angel's training became intense and her belly grew big, however, those did not slow her down.

Finally, Angel gave birth to a girl in the middle of spring. The baby was beautiful with strains of brown-black hair and she had her mother's blue eyes.

"What do you want to name her?" Mok asked.

"I was thinking Emmy, in honor of your first love who saved us," Angel replied and Mok nods.

"Yes, Emmaline, Emmy," he said and kissed his daughter's forehead.

More months had passed and now came the day of Angel's graduation from the academy. She was given full honors and the police captain of the Mystic Rock Harbor PD hired her on the spot.

After the ceremony, Angel and Mok walked out on the beach, watching the sunset. "What are you thinking?" Angel asked.

"I'm thinking of how lucky I am to have you and Emmy. I realized that I have everything that I wanted, despite going through so many trials," Mok replied, "But now, we can lock those horrible memories away forever and see what is happening now."

Angel had to agree; they had gone through many tests and experienced some failures and missteps in their paths, but in the end, it led them to where they are now. However, their trials in life were not yet over, this was only the beginning.

**FIN**

()()()()()()

What did you think? You're probably thinking that there will be a sequel. Well, you just have to find out.


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